Survival of the Sinner
by Outsider316
Summary: Lacy Loud, the daughter of two loving parents, slowly uncovers a dark past when a white-haired girl flees from a nearby orphanage to seek out her own parents.
1. Better Homes

**Friday**

Lupa was her first name. The other was unknown to her. She knew the adults around knew more than her, but never spoke of it. Whoever her parents were, they had abandoned her, left her here in the Rennis Orphanage in God knows where. Tomorrow marked the 13th birthday, which was actually the day she was introduced to the staff, as an innocent infant.

Lupa smoothed out her blue jacket after sitting up from her bed in the shared room. She moved to the wide dome-shaped window. The kids below were throwing frisbees, running around, succumbing to fun. Friendship, that's what she was seeing down below. Something not familiar to her. Something she didn't understand as of yet.

The ajar door was shoved by her roommate. Lupa had been moved from her last room, after pushing little Timmy off of his bed, leading to a broken bone. Only one of a few little violent outbursts from the anti-social white-haired girl.

Her new assigned roommate was a girl this time, had been for three days. She loved jokes and pranks, made most of the kids her friends that way. She had braces, which made Lupa wonder if they hurt.

The girl tried to introduce herself, but Lupa coldly told her off and fell asleep in a broody way. The girl didn't mind it at all, and left it at that.

"You should be outside, having fun. Why aren't you?" The lovable girl looked outside with Lupa. "You don't know what you're missing."

"I know exactly what I'm missing. Leave me alone, giggles," Lupa said, not moving her head.

"Aw, come on... Uh, Lupa, isn't it? You can't be locked up here forever. It's sad... Whatever happened to you, I'm sorry, but that's no excuse to-"

Lupa gave her the death glare, silencing the now intimidated roomie. "Fine, I guess I'll go. But Charlotte wants to see you immediately."

"Hmmm, right. I bet it's just a pre-birthday wish..." Lupa turned away from the scene of the playful kids.

Lupa entered quietly in the room of the orphanage's director, Charlotte Clemmons. Eighteen years here, and being a wonderful caretaker for most of the kids, she withstood her patience with Lupa. She was an elderly blonde, somewhere from Europe, hinted at by a Belgian accent.

"Sweetie! How are you?" Her greeting was still the same warm one Lupa had grown to. Not that Lupa hated her for being the polar opposite, but she didn't find her loving charms and personality fancy or something to get attached to.

Lupa pulled back the soft chair out of the two there were in front of her. Clemmons stood behind her own desk. A pack of chocolate chip cookies were out on the table. She opened it up and offered one to her. "Would you like one, dear?"

"No..." Lupa wanted to get to the point, but she didn't feel like being straight up blunt at the second. "My new roommate said you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, yes indeed." Clemmons opened her drawer, taking out a small stack of papers before getting up from her office chair, proceeding to lock the door. "You're turning thirteen tomorrow, but I'd like to show you something today..."

Lupa's curiosity was getting aroused. "Something? What thing?"

Clemmons rummaged through the pile of papers, seemingly looking for one specific one. "We usually don't know much about the drop offs. You, Lupa, were indeed one. But..." Clemmons' voice grew softer, and a somewhat worried one, "There was a note that came in the basket you came in." Clemmons stopped at one, letting out a calm, happy "Ooh."

"A note?" Lupa leaned forward, swiping it away with no compunction of ripping it. "Let's see here..."

 _For the daughter who will grow without us_

 _I pledge this in your name_

 _We are of blood Loud_

 _Sin was the game_

 _If it ever shall be that you return to us_

 _I only hope we don't disappoint_

 _I regret choosing to abandon you_

 _For it hurts worse than a broken joint_

"This is a poem... I'm-" She re-read it. There was the keyword: Loud. Lupa... Loud? Was this her full name? "Was this all there was?"

"Why, yes, my dear. There was that only. I'm sorry."

Lupa folded the paper mindlessly. "I can keep this, right?" She asked.

"Well, of course. That has always been yours after all. Anyways, that's all I wanted to share with you. Dismissed, my dear," Clemmons smiled widely. Lupa, being Lupa, smirked for a quick second, and returned to her usual frowning look.

 _Lupa Loud... Lupa freaking Loud..._

The clue that brought her a step forward in search for her parents had just presented itself in what she thought would leave her in disgust. Loud. She belonged to the Loud family tree. Either mommy or daddy was a poet, and a damn beautiful one. There had to be more... But this was all there was.

Lupa returned to her room, still gripping the folded poem like it was for dear life. "Who are you guys? Why... Why didn't you want me?" Lupa tossed it on the bed like it had just lost its value. She folded back, sighing in depression.

If then, by some reason, she found her birth parents, what next? Maybe this was where she belonged. Still, she had to know. She had to fill the emptiness of her life and soul with something. And maybe this was the kickoff she wanted for so long.

There were a number of things she could do with the poem; all possibilities ending in its ripped up demise. She felt angry at the joke of it. The poem was senseless to her. Clearly, the writer-parent stated he or she didn't plan to give Lupa up, but here she was, regardless. Lupa took the poem, throwing it underneath the bed. She faced her bed sideways after getting on it completely.

"GUH!" Lupa punched at the pillows, seething almost in an unstable manner. She placed the pillows over her face, now unrestrained. She screamed at how much this was bothering her.

The funny girl roomie was an unexpected variable. "Oh, hey. Are- Are you okay?"

Lupa was slightly embarrassed to have been caught this way by a still-yet stranger. She tried to cover it up with calm lies. "Yeah, I'm fine. You checking up on me?"

"What? No, I forgot my whoopee cushion," she answered, dragging a yellow backpack from under her bed. Lupa was still gripping the pillow over her chest. "You didn't look okay-"

"My matters aren't your concern. Get out," Lupa boomed, speaking louder than their earlier abrupt chat. The roomie walked out with her prank gag, intimidated.

Lupa found peace at last, giving herself off to the weak feelings her body was experiencing. Lupa's eyelids gave out, closing peacefully.

* * *

Lupa returned to the land of the living at well past seven. The light of the rising moon made her feel a little scared, once she looked at the floor. Giggles was lightly snoring, and also mumbling in her sleep. Lupa found herself still in her outfit, a little hot under it.

It was too late for a shower, but she decided to take one regardless. She removed her jacket, moving through the halls slowly but nervously. There was a curfew here- God help her if she was caught after hours. She was sure everyone else was asleep.

An incorrect assumption. Clemmons appeared to intersect her from the end of the hall. Lupa slipped into a room, leaving the door ajar enough to listen for footsteps. She heard Clemmons talking to someone, probably on the phone.

"No, this Lupa Loud girl is... She's been roughhousing with a lot of the kids here. We've done all we can in terms of disciplinary action. We need a psychotherapist is what we need."

Lupa twitched at hearing her name, aggravated Clemmons was using her name like it had no meaning. Lupa continued eavesdropping, while Clemmons grew closer.

 _A psychotherapist?_

Yes? Yes, okay. Yes, thank you so much."

 _Are you fucking kidding me?!_

Lupa managed to hold in her surfacing anger, forcefully watching Clemmons walk out of view to the other end. By then, Lupa had a wonderfully insane idea.

The roommate was awoken by her racket, painfully trying to open her eyes. "What on earth- Lupa?" The lights on temporarily blinded her until she regained focus. "Lupa, what's all this? Where are you going? Is that my-"

Lupa was taking the yellow backpack she deemed shitty for her, stuffing only a handful of clothes in it. "What do you think? I'm leaving this shithole."

"Language..."

"Kiss my ass. By the way," Lupa laughed mildly, zipping the backpack closed. "What's your name, giggles?"

"It's Liby. Why?"

"Ha, well, Liby," Lupa put on the blue jacket back on, followed by the yellow backpack, "It's been nice barely knowing you. At least I'll have this to remember you by." Lupa shook the backpack, holding back the fiendish giggles to avoid capture by the staff.

Liby sat up after Lupa left, wondering if she was going to change her mind and return. That's what she also hoped would happen, so she looked past the doorway, staring into the dark abyss. "Lupa?"

The doors were unlocked from the inside, giving her ultimate freedom to the bigger world. "HAHA, FUCK YOU! FUCK ALL OF YOU!" Lupa turned back, giving both middle fingers off and waved them around. She then bolted out and ran with all her stamina away from the orphanage.

 _Therapy? What a joke. Damn you all to hell..._

The one thing Lupa forgot, and probably the most important thing, was the poem. The poem Liby found while cleaning up the mess of her stuff Lupa made on the floor when emptying the backpack. While Liby read it, she felt happy for Lupa, but felt a little hurt at the fact she got nothing at all. She returned it underneath the bed, and shut the lights off for sleep.

Lupa had gone long aways from the orphanage, finding herself strolling into a town. Royal Woods was welcoming one of its own back home, but she didn't know that. She'd start her search for the Louds here. And this was only the first step. However long it would take her, she'd do it. She'd go to find them in the period equivalent to eternity. She'd find her parents, no matter what.

* * *

 **AN: So, Lupa is on a mission to find her parents. Down this road, there will be some good twists and turns. I do hope you enjoy this sad and yet-to-be-dark story.**


	2. Losers Never Win

**Friday**

Lacy Loud was the twelve year old daughter of two loving parents. She had it all, and there was nothing more she could ask for. Lacy was spending that night playing a quick match of basketball with her wonderful mother, the coach in her middle school. That had its own good perks at some points, but wasn't treated beyond the others. For that reason, Lacy respected her more, as it was made fair and equal.

Lacy took up after her, in looks and personality. However, her hair was a clear ghostly brown colored hair. It was like chalk dust had fused with the regular brown. Her father, Lincoln Loud, had a set of white hair. That and her own, she considered, were distorted. But she didn't mind it at all. It made her different, and she liked it.

She scored her fourth point, cheering herself on in front of Lynn Loud.

"See? You have what it takes, Lacy!"

"I'm the best there is, yeah!"

"Maybe one day, you might just be number one someday," Lynn laughed.

"I'm looking forward to that, you'll see!"

Lynn's phone rang. The ringtone was the sound of punching, something Lacy considered extreme. Secretly, she wanted to learn martial arts. "I gotta take this, sweety. I'll be right back..."

Lacy dribbled the basketball, trying to hit the hoop from further positions. "I can do this... I can do this... I'm Lacy Loud!" She threw it, and missed it. "No!"

"Hello?" Lynn had her back to Lacy, giving the caller her attention, "Lynn Loud speaking."

 _"The girl's gone, since an hour ago."_

"What? What girl? Who-?" Lynn then figured it out upon giving it thought. "Lucy's girl?! What, how?!"

Lacy found herself surprised by her mother's rare outburst. She had never been tense like this. Not like the times Lacy found herself in trouble, due to excessive roughhousing with some boys. Nor like the time she broke some frames of her parents, in solo matches of hackey sack. No, this was something beyond her comprehension.

"Wait! Who is this?!" The caller hung up on Lynn before anything else was given. "Wha- Hello?"

"Mom, what's wrong?" Lacy let the ball roll away. She joined her mother, curious as to why she seemed all worked up.

It started there, with a phone call. Lynn looker back at her daughter, who still expected an answer. "Uh, it's nothing, my love. I gotta call daddy, okay? You just-" Lynn broke away from Lacy's eyes, touched by the same feeling that penetrated her in the darkest week of her life.

Something was in the process of being dismantled. Little Lacy could not help but go on and listen in on a call her mother made to daddy dearest.

"Hey, Linc, it's me. Listen, someone called me on restricted, and... The girl's out. Lucy's girl, she's gone. Come home soon, this is bad..."

Lacy moved away, already having heard enough. She returned outside like nothing happened, and performed a set of twenty jumping jacks, while her mind was figuring out this rising mystery. A girl, someone named Lucy, and the obvious fear that motivated her mother to leave father a voicemail.

They knew something, but this was possibly grown up stuff. She shrugged it off, believing that was the thing. It had to be it. It could've been... Right?

 **Later**

She lied in her bed, facing the big flat screen tv. A Jason Statham movie was playing on cable. Lacy, a sucker for strong men, was attached when she heard screaming from her parents' bedroom. She lowered the volume, placing her ear against the wall. Yes, there was indeed a form of argument taking place.

She had to adjust for audio focus, crushing her ear in between her head and the wall. Finally, she had clear audio.

"I thought we agreed on abortion for Lucy's girl! She shouldn't have been allowed to live!"

"Well, too bad! She chose to give her up in the end!"

"FUCK!" Lincoln hit on the wall Lacy was eavesdropping on. She fell back, a little freaked out by her father's bits of what she knew was rage. She increased the volume back, still hearing what she found out further in her mind.

 _Abortion for Lucy's girl? What is going on? And... Who is this Lucy anyways?_

What she simply disregarded as common adult-related matters turned out to be something more underneath the surface. Abortion, that was the keyword that dragged her into this. She knew, and was also against, the practice of it. This girl, whoever she was, was on the loose, gathered from yesterday's call she still recalled perfectly.

Maybe Lucy was a friend of the family's or something. It was getting thrown around in a personal sense, so maybe... It was also odd that she grew up, not knowing about the extended families from both her parents. Maybe something happened to them both, that ended up pretty horrible. She didn't have a desire to pry and find out. Not until this happened.

She grew up happy, but not too spoiled to demand everything. Everything was perfect around every corner of her life. At least, on her end. Behind the wall, there was definitely something going on. And she would not shake it off this time.

It was how hard her father screamed that told her this really wasn't a laughing matter. Yes, something not her concern. Something that made her worried about them. Something that actually involved her too, but had no idea... Yet.

 **Saturday**

They were both away at the second in the quiet morning. Lincoln Loud worked in an office, typing his life away. Lynn Loud was off shopping, leaving the girl all alone here. And it was a perfect time to go snooping around. Their bedroom was always unlocked, except when they were both in it.

Lacy hadn't long to look, so she went about opening cabinets and drawers all over. The room had three dressers, on each side. The bed took the fourth wall, which was on the middle right upon entering. Lacy reached the bottom drawer of the dresser. Underneath her old man's socks was something she had never seen.

At first, she thought she was looking at a school class picture, until she looked closely. No, the kids in the photo were of obviously different ages. It appeared to have been taken outdoors. It was a photo of the Loud kids, in their first attempt in taking a picture that was an anniversary gift long ago. In the middle of the photo, she recognized a white haired boy she knew was her father.

But there was something else as well. The girl in the jersey looked too identical to her. The hair was legitimately the same style as her own.

 _Mom and dad knew each other back then?_

She didn't think that they were related to each other, because they all seemed outta place from one another. The two blonde girls in different outfits seemed to be twins, and maybe these were relatives. Lacy buried the photo underneath the white socks, confused as to who they were.

Then it hit her. This Lucy person, could it be one of these girls in the photo? She redid the process of taking out the photo again, and took a pic of it, unable to take the original source.

It was time to venture down family history, but where would she start? And, more importantly, how? There had to be something else to uncover. The photo could not have been the only thing that lead to further clues. There was no way it was. But Lacy had gone twister around the room.

She shouldn't have been there, due to a new rule they made when she was twelve, which was a year ago. The only thing she missed was-

 _The closet!_

The left side of the room took up a closet, wide for the entire wall. It was divided into two, each having two sliding white doors but being the same one. Lacy managed to find something underneath a pile of clothes on the far right corner of the rectangular closet. A big black carry-on bag was there, filled with papers of all sorts. She wasted no time taking it out of its place.

Setting it on the big queen bed, Lacy pulled out a huge chunk, beginning to scroll through them. These were consisted of tax-related papers and other documents. Lacy returned the ones in her hand, and took out from the bottom of the pile. She carried back onto the search, going slower this time. And she came across a list of names;

 **Lori Loud; No**

 **Leni Loud; Maybe**

 **Luna Loud; No**

 **Lana and Lola Loud; No**

 **Lisa Loud; Never**

 **Lily Loud; ?**

 _What is this? Are these... Dad's sisters? What's this list supposed to be?_

She gave up, having enough of these pointless loops that led to nowhere. Maybe it was nothing at all. Maybe she was misinterpreting the whole situation. Maybe that was it.

Right before she returned everything back, she spotted two birth certificates she missed right underneath the paper list. One belonged to Lincoln Loud, which she knew it'd be. The other came to great surprise to her. Lynn Loud. That was her mother's birth name.

 _They had the same last name?_

But then she looked closely. The parents of the two; they were the shared parents. Lynn Loud Sr, and Rita Loud. It hit her like a freight train, and it left her literally horrified at what she had dug up from this. Her parents were really brother and sister. And this meant-

Lacy looked back at the list. No, not just her father's relatives; it was both of theirs. Both of her parents, were actually brother and sister. And this was a list of the names of the others. The photo was of all of them. She compared the names to the amount of kids seen in the photo. Adding the two names she already knew, it came to an unbalanced result. Whoever was who, there seemed to be two names missing from the list.

 _Why is this?_ She pondered.

Then, the worse thing hit her. She didn't know why it processed slow. It shouldn't have been the last thing to deduce, but somehow it had been.

Sweet little Lacy was a product of incest. She gasped in utter horror, mindlessly touching the papers, already getting lost in the outskirts of her mind upon thinking what this meant. Her, something ugly, something dreaded in the eyes of mostly everyone. She knew well enough that it was sin. It was unholy, and yet-

"LACY?!"

Lynn was home already, still in her red sweatpants and white t-shirt. She found her daughter there, holding all the evidence. She had left the groceries inside their purple van, a basic soccer mom type vehicle, believing that Lacy could benefit from the lifting and carrying.

What a hell of a surprise to find her there, studying the only few pieces in the house that revealed only part of a truth of a dreaded event that happened so long ago. Back when they were all kids.

"M-mom? Mom, what is this?" Lacy's voice was breaking as Lynn approached her carefully. "What monster a-am I?" She held up Lynn's birth certificate right to her face.

"Oh, sweetie-" Lynn grew uncomfortable. She stepped to Lacy's height, holding her while removing the certificate in her hands. "You're my number two, I love you. I'm sorry you had to find out this way..." She kissed the crying girl's face. Lacy turned away from the bed scattered with sheets, burying herself in dear mother's arms.

Nothing was going to be the same anymore. Not only did she understand that, but this was just the beginning. And soon, she would come to realize it.

* * *

 **AN: Poor Lacy Loud finds out what she is, and it's not pretty news. What is in store for her? Why are two specific names missing from the list? What was it that happened in the Loud House? Find out on the next chapter of this fic!**


	3. Ugly Truth

**Friday**

The yellow book, not updated nor touched for years, was finally opened up by Lupa at the old phone booth she came across at Flip's Food 'N' Fuel. The Loud residence had a clear address there for her to find; 1216 Franklin Ave.

She didn't know what exactly to expect after knocking. There was a point when knocking, she secretly hoped that no one would answer. In the driveway was a shitty, baby blue van from eras before her. Maybe elderly people lived here. The lights in the patio were on. Both bottom windows had lights shining through, suggesting to Lupa that whoever lived there was not yet asleep.

She knocked thrice on the red wooden door, twiddling with her pinkies while she waited for an answer from inside. Footsteps from within the quiet house creaked slowly. Lupa set her hands down, nervously taking a step back. There might not have been answers for her, and she mentally prepared for various scenarios. Now, here was the moment of truth.

An elderly woman, much more older than Clemmons, appeared, squinting at Lupa. She looked like a grandma, without a doubt. The wrinkles and her posture had confirmed it upon first glance at her. She coughed a bit, forming a heavenly smile at Lupa.

"Hello, deary! Are you a Girl Scout?" A pink knitted sweater and tan pants is what she wore at the moment. Rita Loud did not know she was squinting at her granddaughter from an incestuous event out of a few, in which broke a family empire from within.

Rita looked at Lupa's snowy set of hair, and gasped. "Oh, dear! Is it Halloween already? Goodness, I had no idea? I have some leftover-"

Lupa sighed before cutting off the gentle elder. "No, ma'am. I'm here looking for the Loud family. Did... Does that family still live here?"

"Oh... Um, well yes, actually. Me and my husband are all that remain. Why do you ask?"

"Lucy Loud. I came here to seek her out," Lupa was bluntly confident that she'd get answers. Her voice turned higher by then, growing comfortable with her grandmother. But the smile on Rita's face flipped upside down.

"Luc- I'm sorry, there is no Loud family here! Get lost, y-" Rita squinted again. Her eyes shot up widely. She pointed at Lupa, hand trembling as if it were gripping a blender during its duty. "You, you're... You're... Lucy's monster! Away with you, filth!" Rita moved her hands, flinging them in the way a person was scaring away an animal. "You shouldn't even be alive! Go, away with you!"

"I just want to know who Lucy is! I want to know where my mother is!"

Rita turned back inside, yelling. "LYNN, GET THE GODDAMN BROOM!"

The merciless eyes, which were a pair of loving ones literally minutes ago, alerted Lupa that she should not have provoked Rita at all. Lupa gave in, leaving while still hearing Rita ranting, screaming about her. But Lupa was not about to give up yet.

This definitely was the place, and all answers were likely somewhere inside. Breaking out was easy; now came a real challenge. She circled back, carefully stepping past the garage, into their backyard. Years of practicing how to avoid detection was about to pay off in this ultimate test.

The backdoor was unlocked. Lupa listened in for voices and footsteps. The enraged elder seemed to be in the living room still. Lupa moved past the kitchen and dining room. Sure enough, Rita was sitting on a puke-green couch, facing forwards. Lupa crept upstairs, taking a step about every five seconds. At the fourth step, an old man's voice echoed as the familiar creaking of a door synchronized with it.

"What's all the ruckus?" Lynn Loud Sr. asked in a grumpy tone.

Lupa sped up her progress, hoping she wouldn't be seen if she kept up the turtle rate. Lupa took a breath at the top, actually having gained fear from this real test. She found herself in a hall composed of multiple rooms, and thought she was in a likely hotel.

She started from Lori and Leni's room, going in a clockwise direction. Apart from two beds and leftover drawers, it was all empty. Lupa made sure of it, scavenging the room. Indeed, there was nothing, so she moved onto Luan and Luna's room. A double bunk bed was here, along with the chest of Luan's gags.

Lupa found nothing here as well. Maybe there was nothing, and that worried her; she wanted something to come to light.

To the next room, was something ominous. There was an actual coffin, the only thing that was off. Again, she did a thorough search, but only found a few balls of different varieties around. Lupa lastly checked the coffin. She thought it funny that anything might've been left there, and ignored due to how obvious and cheesy it would be to leave something there. Maybe that was the reverse psychology of it.

She opened the lid, seeing nothing but how hollow it was. She sighed in disbelief- and accidentally slipped her fingers off of the lid, creating a noise that was enough to let her grandparents know she was in the house.

 _Shit!_

Lupa heard the footsteps slowly ascending upstairs. She shifted around, looking for a hiding spot, already feeling hot enough to sweat.

Lynn Sr. and Rita came in, with Lynn Sr. holding a cane like a bat. "H-hewwo?"

Lupa peeked behind the shaft, having set Liby's backpack down on the left side. The elders looked around, and left without being too suspicious. Lupa was in the clear, and might've had to wait the night to get out. She grew fatigue, stomach had growled immensely. She was a bit more relieved now, so she pulled the yellow backpack closer. There wasn't enough light coming through, so she felt around for it.

There was another object in there that she felt. It was flat and small, and she pulled it close to the light. It looked like some diary, and Lupa was wondering why this thing was here. She skimmed through its contents, and found poems, rather than entries, written on the pages. This was it, this was something huge. The book of Lucy Loud's poems had finally reached the hands of the next generation.

Lupa climbed down steadily. Her height was a curse and a blessing for her. She tiptoed to the light switch, after carefully shutting the door closed. Lupa went to the final entry;

 _"It happened... Dear God, it happened... She made me do this. What are mom and dad gonna think of me? Dear God, help me..."_

This entry date was unknown, but at the bottom of it, was a written address of another destination somewhere else in town. Another critical point in this mysterious case. She shoved the book into the backpack, deciding to leave as soon as possible.

Lupa took a pillow and blanket, reconsidering to sleep for the night in the vent. It wasn't the best option, but it was better than in the streets.

One step closer to finding her parents, and Lupa was a little more eased, but still felt something was off here. Her mother had done something that sounded by force. Was this connected or...?

She yawned, already feeling her legs giving out. And then, so did she.

 **Saturday**

She ran out, not caring if they knew she was there or not. She rammed the door shut, sprinting down the street. She had to venture to the end of town, which was gonna take a while.

Lacy was sitting in a depressed state on her porch, still mentally unprepared for the new change in her life. She was a statue, there but long gone. If only she didn't find out because of her curiosity. Mm and dad, sister and brother. Nothing mattered. She was a monstrous creation, an epitome of a bad joke, covered in sin.

She looked past the people who stepped into her eye sight. Lupa, on the other hand, didn't care at all. "Hey, girl!"

"Huh?"

Lupa looked at her from the sidewalk. "I'm looking for Lucy Loud. She here?"

"Luc-" Lacy stood up, confused at first. Then, her mind rewinded back to the list of names and picture. "I don't know who that is..." She replied.

The mailbox read Loud, ensuring her she was in the right place. "Any Louds here at all?"

"Yes, we're Louds. But none named Lucy here, I'm sorry."

"Okay, little girl," Lupa ignored Lacy, running straight for her, "Here's what we're gonna do!" Lupa became merciless, putting both of her hands on the latter's shoulders, ramming her to the the blue wall of the house. "Call your parents."

"Wha-please-" Lacy was pretending to play victim, waiting for Lupa to lower her guard. She did so, opening and setting down her yellow backpack.

"Shut up and listen! I'm here looking for Lucy Loud. Whoever your parents are, must know something about her! I didn't come all this way-"

Lacy placed her hands in between Lupa's own locked ones, snapping them away from her. "I told you, there is no one by that name here! Beat it, or I'll beat you to a pulp!"

Lupa stood her ground, eyeing the backpack, then at Lacy. "I'm not leaving until I get some answers! The book, I'll show you!" Lupa advanced without hostility. "Please help me... Please..."

Lacy still challeneged her, but released her formed fists upon seeing Lupa form a draw. Lacy reached into the backpack, pulling out the only thing that felt like a book. "Is this it? What do you want me to do with this?"

"Who's here with you?"

"Just my mom... My-" Lacy was weakened again by today's revelation. She sank into the feeling of everything and the nothing. "Alright... Lucy, was it?"

Just then, Lynn Loud came from her own headquarters, wondering what the ruckus she heard was about. "Something wrong, sweetie?"

Lacy gave no answer, still holding the book with one hand. She didn't dare eye her not-so-truthful mother.

"What's that in your-" Lynn noticed the white-haired girl below the porch's steps. "Oh, and who might you be?"

Lacy was frustrated at how calm Lynn was, as if there was nothing that had just happened. "Mom... Who is Lucy?" She showed her the book of poems. Lynn then realized what was happening.

"No, it can't be- You there, you're-"

"The orphan," Lupa curtly finished, "Where can I find my mother?"

Lacy's eyes widened after that. _This is the girl mom mentioned! The... Daughter of Lucy Loud? As in... My cousin?_

"You shouldn't be here, girl. Go back to your orphanage, or I'll take you there myself!"

The rage came bubbling on the surface. Again, Lupa was going to be rerouted to another path. "Just tell me where she is! It's all I want to know! I want to know why- Why she left me, why she and my father... Why they didn't love me enough!"

The color of Lupa's hair made Lacy curious at this point. Lynn just shook her head. "I'm sorry that you grew up alone. But... The truth is better to be left buried..."

Lupa's lips quivered in visible pain. "Please tell me... Where I can find her. Please..."

"Lacy, go inside..." Lynn's voice adapted to a strict tone, something scary and not often seen anymore. She did as she was told, and handed Lynn the book.

"I'll go, I'll go. Just... Tell me-"

"Fine... You want to know where Lucy is? Come here..."

Under the surface, she was afraid. Lynn was darkly calm but serious. Just like in the house she infiltrated, Lupa paced to Lynn very slowly.

"Where the hell did you get this from? You... Broke in. You did, didn't you? Why, you miserable..." Lynn placed a hand over her face, becoming stressed by this new situation that rose from the ashes of acts of sin before the birth of the two girls.

Lynn leaned close to Lupa's ear and whispered. The words made her heart stop completely, paralyzing her in place. Lynn leaned back from her head, looking down in disarray. "I'm sorry, but it's true... Please go back to Rennis. You have a home there, not here."

Lynn left Lupa alone, kicking away the yellow backpack away from the porch. Lupa was still processing what Lynn had just told her. Lacy was on the floor, leaned against a sofa. "Mom... Is she my cousin?"

"Lace-"

"What else are you hiding from me? Why haven't I learned about the others? My aunts, all of them? My grandparents? Mommy..."

"Lacy, that is enough!"

"Mom, what is it? What is so bad that..." The tears in Lynn's eyes made Lacy give in. Maybe this was deep territory, something very painful that made itself hidden from her, and whoever else was involved. "Mom, I-"

"P-please go to your room, Lacy," Lynn whispered. She pulled the curtains from the window, slightly content to see Lupa, the girl capable to overthrow what she and Lincoln had, was not in view. She whimpered, trying her hardest not to cry.

 _The seventeen year old Lynn held her younger brother close enough for cuddling. "There, there, Lincoln. It's over... It's over..."_

 _He was crying silently into his hands. Lucy, on the other hand, eyed them both from the bottom of the stairs in the basement. She was scared, but did not portray that on her face, as usual. Lynn helped Lincoln move up._

 _"I didn't mean to, Lynn! I just wanted-"_

 _"You knew well what you did, and it was wrong! Stay away from Lincoln!"_

In her mind, Lynn argued that the sin child needed be aborted, but it wasn't up to her. Now, thirteen years later, here was the baby, all grown up, in search of dear mother. And Lynn told her where Lucy was.

Another walk to endure, but Lupa's feet hurt to the point they had gone to a numb state. It was a slower walk, but she had no problem from there on. Truthfully, the place Lynn told her to go was one Lupa could not believe; she was in denial at first, but the entire read on Lynn's face suggested this was the ugly truth, and Lupa still didn't want it.

Royal Woods Cemetery wasn't empty at the moment. The site wasn't something uncomfortable. Somewhere among the graves and tombstones was one that belonged to one Lucy Loud. The dirt crunched with its tiny rocks and scattered leaves here and there. From row to row, she frantically tried to find a full name with two L's on each.

She got there at the eight row, third grave from the left.

 **In Memory Of Lucille Loud**

"M-mom?" The lips separated from its seal, and Lupa finally knew what true pain was. The empty hole inside had increased times hundreds after seeing this unpleasant sight. The only thing the poor girl with a chalk set of hair had asked for was stripped away in the most fucked up way. The writer of the poem left to Lupa had long been dead.

She tried to make sense of it. She tried to understand it, but all it did was overwhelm her mentally. The divine forces at work were laughing at her, amused by the plaything she was to them. Lupa had enough. Maybe there really was nothing to find. Everything was a dead end, in the ugly finale. The night was beginning to fall, and Lupa found herself unable to take cover from the incoming cold.

* * *

 **AN: A hurt Lupa; a dead Lucy; a family, possibly on the verge of falling apart, and the yet-to-be-unburied secrets that will soon come to light.**


	4. Less Innocent

**Saturday**

Lupa knew nothing about her _father,_ but maybe that was meant to be left alone. What where the chances he too was dead? She had enough of the disappointment and silent heartbreak. Coming along the road that led in and out of town and towards Rennis Orphanage, she came across five dollar bill she spotted, walking with her head down. "Ooh," she said, even more hungry now.

The hideous gas station was coming up. She planned to get some Twinkies and a Starbucks brand iced mocha flavored coffee, which was her preferred drink for a few years now. It had an awful smell inside.

A red car, a Honda brand with a future make, pulled up beside the left side of a gas pump. By then, Lupa was heading to the drinks aisle as her father stepped foot inside. The cashier, a teenage redhead, greeted him in delight. "Ah, Mr. Loud! Back from work, I see?"

"Indeed so, James. How's Jesse been these last few days?"

"Ah, well," the gentle cashier replied, "He's been getting better rolling around, and we're all still supporting. So, he's been fine."

"Well, that's good to hear. I'll take the usual, by the way."

Lupa had the glass door open halfway, stopping upon hearing the L word.

"He says hi to Lacy, Mr. Loud," the teen added, sliding a red box of cigarettes on the counter. "Here you are."

Lupa closed it back, looking through the reflection of the one over. She was behind the furthest aisle in the store, unseen by both of them. This man, this Loud, it was Lacy's father. Her uncle, actually. The urge to get something out of him surfaced. She did have interest in knowing about hee father, and wondering beyond.

She pondered it quickly. Lynn rained on her parade. She still wanted to know why she wasn't kept, but she was now afraid for a few reasons; if she sought out her father, he could be dead, and it dawned on her since leaving the cemetery. If she found the answers, there was no way in hell it was bound to be harmless to her. There was a reason, and maybe some things were better off left in the ground.

She planned to head back to Rennis.

"Have a good night, James."

Lupa grabbed her coffee beverage, and headed to the counter to pay and get out of dodge- when she saw the surprisingly unexpected. The hair of Lacy's father was white, like Lupa's own. She stared at it, wondering what this actually meant.

"Ma'am? I can check you out if you're ready!"

Lupa broke free from her trance, moving to the counter. "Sorry, here.' She set her five down on it, still distracted by her uncle, who somehow shared the same hair as her. She kept her eyes shifting to him and the cashier.

"Okay, here's your change, ma'am. Have a good night."

Lupa tucked away the Twinkies in the backpack she left at the side of the counter near the exit. "Yeah, you too." It was there that she realized the damn poetry book had still remained in the hands of her shitty relative. The only good thing she looked forward to reading. The only thing that would connect her with her dead mother.

She rerouted, heading back for Royal Woods.

Lincoln reached the driveway of his smaller, but quiet house. Just yesterday, unsettling news came in the form of the voicemail. The baby born of him being raped had fled her home. He was worried that she'd be coming to them directly. He wanted nothing to do with her. It wasn't a personal thing, but she served as a reminder that he experienced a traumatic event, and he never wanted to come across her.

Today's events had not been shared with him through his phone this time. Lincoln activated the alarm, casually walking from the driveway. Lynn moved her head a little when the sounds of the keys jingling and the doorknob shaking told her he was back.

Wine was out on the table, had been there long enough to get warm. Nothing had ever amounted to how devastating she was feeling. It almost all fell like that, but nothing was truly over. Little Lacy found out, courtesy of herself. Lynn chugged the next round in one gulp, going careless for the night.

The book was on a book case filled with Lincoln's collection of manga and graphic novels, at the left end of the living room. Knowing that Lupa broke into her parents' home, and possibly disturbed them, put her on edge.

Lincoln used his back to shut the door. "Lacy, I'm home!" He removed his work shoes at the door, sighing in relaxation. "That's better."

"I'm in the kitchen," Lynn called. The tone in her fair voice was weak, drained from her usual energy that kept her going. "Lincy..."

"Hey, there. Lace upstairs?"

"Linc..."

"No, I know. I don't think we should be worried here. She won't be able to find us-"

"Lincoln!" Despite shouting, she still felt stuck in the dark hole. She hadn't even gathered the words on how to explain how Lynn's niece, and Lincoln's daughter, had actually pinpointed their location and came to know what they did.

"Lynn, what's wrong?"

She eyed him momentarily, and poured another round into the empty wine glass. "That girl... That girl came, Linc. She was... Here." Lynn chugged down the wine for the fifth time. "I can't even, Linc."

"Here? Here, as in-"

"YES, SHE CAME TO FIND LUCY!"

"Wha... Where-? You sent her to the cemetery, didn't you?"

"I didn't want her here, Lincoln! She couldn't stay anyway, and you know it! I told her to go back to the damn orphanage!" She threw the glass against the wall, obliterating it into millions of pieces.

"Lynn!"

"Don't you even, Lincoln Loud! Don't you even-" She was shushed upon receiving one of his loving kisses. It was one of the best things she loved in her wonderful, sporty life. Sex was as often as whenever Lacy was out with friends or somewhere else. Right now, Lynn knew she could use some deep pleasure. The stress had increased to 110%.

"It's gonna be okay, Lynn. This family- This family won't fall, and our secret shall not get out.

Lacy had her hands on the railing of the stairs, having been listening after her father had returned from work.

 _A secret?_

"I'm going to take a shower. Care to join me, Lynnie?"

Lacy gagged back to her room. Maybe this was far enough to hear.

The two ran upstairs, beginning to laugh and giggle in horny excitement. Lacy locked out the sounds with her SkullCandy headphones, crashing to 21 Pilots. In about five minutes, she decided to head down, thirsty for a Gatorade.

The girl, what was her name? Did she even get to tell Lacy? What did Lynn tell her, and where did she go? Lacy kept squirming in her bed, uncomfortable in her current positions.

Lupa stumbled onto the street she had been in earlier, annoyed she had to repeat the same walking process. Lacy would have been proud, had all this been a normal family ordeal. This time, there was no glum-looking girl at the porch.

Lacy's impatience, a hand-me-down quality of her mother, dragged her down for the sports drink. She had a lime flavored one out when Lupa knocked casually. "Who's there?"

Lupa was surprised it didn't just fly open. She didn't know how to respond, so she remained silent.

"Hello?" Lacy persisted.

Lupa leaned by the door in a cool fashion, setting her hands on her pockets. Her cousin did as Lupa expected. "Hey, girl. Remember me?"

Lacy's head moved back like Lupa had pushed on her nose. "W-what do you want?"

"Look, I forgot that book, that's it," Lupa opened her left hand to check her nails. "Give it here..."

"Ah, yeah, sure. Gimme one-"

Lupa pushed past here, prepared for some sort of altercation with the big ones.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Lupa spotted her mother's poetry book on the book case. "I'm doing it myself, that's what." Lupa retrieved it. "Thanks for your help," Lupa sarcastically joked. "I'll be going home."

Now that the white-haired girl was there, Lacy's questions returned to her. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know who your father is, would you?"

"No, I don't. I thought I could find out through my mother, but I learned she's fucking dead."

"...There's no need for-"

Lupa gave her a cold expression on her face, one that had the power to strip away the happiness of kids.

"Uhhh... Sorry," Lacy was slightly intimated, scratching her head with a nervous smile. "I only asked cause... My dad has white hair, and so do you."

"You implying something?" Lupa stepped off the porch, leaving into the darkness again.

"W-wait! I think... I think we share the same father!"

Lupa Loud slowed to a halt.

"I just learned... My parents... They're brother and sister!"

Lupa turned back to face the distraught girl. "You really wanna joke about that? Are you fucking kidding me? I found out my mom's been dead for I don't know how long, and you dare mock me?!" Lupa now felt the urge to pound her cousin into oblivion.

"No, it's- I'm not lying! I can show you!"

"Suck my ass! If you'll excuse me-"

Lacy's first phone cut in, interrupting with its ringtone, consisting of a referee blowing a whistle. "Hello?"

Lupa scoffed, readying up again.

"Uhhh, it's for you... Weird," Lacy handed Lupa her phone.

"Me? What are you pulling?" Of course, she took it and held it up to her ear.

 _"The girl speaks the truth. She is not the only product among the Louds, however. The answers lie when offers present themselves. Take this one now."_

"What? Who- who is this?" Of course, the caller hung up on Lupa. "Shit! Hello?!"

"What did the person say?"

Lupa kept hovering the phone by her ear. "So..." She handed Lacy back her phone, "Show me."

The bathroom door wasn't fully closed. The consecutive laughter of the two, along with the sound of the water sprinkling from the shower head, overlapped the footsteps of the cousins. Lacy's room looked like it belonged to that of a boy's room, making it odd for Lupa. "Quite the sports fan, I see," Lupa stated, kicking at a dodgeball across the room.

"Okay, so... This started for me yesterday. My mom got a call, something about a girl. That's you, undoubtedly. And there was also a mention of your mom, too."

Both of them took a seat on the latter's bed. "I went around snooping because I found it all odd. The way both of my parents were acting, it wasn't anything I've seen before. They seemed... Scared, tense. You know?"

"I don't, yet I do. Nice wording there," Lupa scoffed, shaking her head.

"So, earlier today..." Lacy returned to where she discovered the incestuous connections between her parents, and possibly much more of something worse. "I went and looked for something. They never talked about any of our relatives. I didn't know why, until I found everything."

Lupa wasn't facing her, but she definitely was listening. She clanked her feet together, lifting them above the smooth carpet floor. "So...?"

"I wasn't lying or joking there. I came across their birth certificates, a photo of them, and a list of names. We have a bunch of aunts. But, the list had two names missing. I remember now, one of them was your mom's name. I didn't see that one there."

"Then..."

"It was one of many secrets they've kept. And... If they both are siblings, then-"

Lupa understood what Lacy was getting at. "You said it yourself, you think your dad is also my own... What are the-"

"That's incest, but..." It dawned on her already. Maybe they already figured it out, but Lupa stood in denial as of yet. "I don't know, Lacy. There has to be more than that. He can't be my father, so why-"

Lupa unzipped the backpack, taking out the book again. "Look, on the last entry, there was this." Lupa showed Lacy the final words written in a guilt-like tone.

 _It happened... Dear God, it happened... She made me do this. What are mom and dad gonna think of me? Dear God, help me..._

"Yeah, I got the impression there is something else we're not seeing. Something else my parents aren't going to ever tell me. And whatever it is..."

Lupa closed the book, finishing the rest, "It's what landed me away from her, and probably made her..."

"Don't say it. Come on, let's-"

Lincoln came in unexpectedly to wish his daughter a goodnight sleep. Neither he was prepared to see Lupa, the illegitimate second daughter, right there. "What- what the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"Daddy, I can explain!" Lacy shook nervously, landing herself in hot waters. No telling what the consequences would be now.

"No, you- You have to leave!" He grabbed Lupa by her blue jacket, dragging her out like some sort of wild animal. She struggled and cried out, kicking away as he took her downstairs.

"Daddy, stop! Dad!" Lacy was right behind them, horribly astonished at how her father behaved towards the other girl.

"WHO THE FUCK IS MY FATHER?! IS IT YOU?! IS IT-" She bit into his hand as hard as she was able to, making him squeal out. He pushed her to the ground, mercilessly. "Why the hell do you all hate me?! What the fuck did I do?!"

"Get out of my house!"

Lupa was all for it. Never had she been so riled up before. The volcano of her body erupted with enough power to take him on. She tackled him, sending him into the wall. A framed picture came loose and cracked upside down.

"NO, NO MORE!" She began to attack him, in a gorilla manner. "Where-" She pushed past Lacy's screams, no longer caring about holding back. "-is-" Lupa was getting tired with her arms already. "-my-"

Lynn snuck behind her, putting the girl in a chokehold. "This stops now. Lacy, open the door!"

In truth, she didn't want to. Lupa being here gained the two close to the answers. She didn't know what card to play, only just keeping her eyes at them. "Mom... I don't understand-"

"Lacy, do as you're told!" Lynn turned the white-haired girl to the entrance. "LACY!"

"MOM, NO!" The ghost-brown haired girl set her foot down, finally letting the flags of her pent-up rage add to her energy. "YOU HID SOMETHING ABOUT ME, MOM! AND YOU'RE WITHHOLDING SOMETHING SHE NEEDS TO KNOW!"

Lincoln coughed and spurted blood from Lupa's lunges and strikes, and adding to today's hard, typical day, he was not able to get up.

"LACY, NOW'S NOT THE TIME!"

Lupa performed a backwards headbutt just for Lynn. She jerked back, taking the impact on her nose. "Now _is_ the time." Lupa kicked Lynn in her stomach with all her might.

"Hey, stop! That's still my mother!"

"Live a little! And I'm not gonna hurt her, I'll just toy with her!"

"Wait! Let me try!" Lacy ran up to Lupa before something cruel was taken into effective. Lupa only wanted to pound the adults, steaming fully in her possessive anger. Lacy broke the line between Lupa and her mother, shielding her from Lupa.

"You have a minute. Then, it's going physical."

"Thanks," she said in gratitude. Lacy could see how desperate Lupa was now, when, not long ago, she just wanted to leave eagerly. Something brought Lupa back, rekindling her desire for the truth behind everything, which was the same objective Lacy was trying to achieve.

"Mom, what happened?"

Of course, Lynn's face was concealed from them, wrapped in silence. She was a soft crying type, never allowing anyone to see her break. This was the second time Lacy had seen her mother cry.

"You have to tell me... Tell us, mom... Tell us what happened."

 _Luan, now a graduate of Royal Woods, and enrolled in college, was set to leave soon. A week ago, she caught wind of some dirty, incestuous feelings for Lincoln Loud. Knowing it was a sin, she convinced the goth to commit an atrocity with her, stating that she'd go to Hell for all eternity. And Lucy bought the idea._

 _The two made a devious ploy three days before Luan was getting shipped off forever into college for society. The two took the sleeping teenage Lincoln to the basement._

 _Lynn noticed that Lucy was gone for awhile, and got out of bed._

 _Luan was first to rape him. She was screwing him hard, and in less than halfway in, he woke up feeling uncomfortable. She covered his mouth, giggling maniacally. "I love you, Lincoln. This is my going away present for you. I hope you'll love it."_

 _She continued to ride him, while Lucy felt a slight discomfort in seeing her brother helplessly screaming through Luan's hand._

 _"Ooooh, yes! Give it to me!" Luan was moaning erratically, groping her own breasts while she bobbed her body around. "After this, it's your turn!" She told Lucy._

 _Lynn listened from above, still undetected. She didn't know what was going on at first._

"I couldn't believe what they did to him. So, I went to call the oldest sister of our family. By the time we both got down there..."

 _"LUCY, GET OFF OF YOUR BROTHER!" Lori slapped Luan with such integrity. Lucy slipped off Lincoln's cock, dripping off her fluids onto his legs and the cement floor. "Get dressed! As for you, Luan-"_

 _The comedienne had gone silent in guilt of being caught. She was whimpering, on the verge of crying. "-Let's go to mom and dad to see what they have to say about this!"_

"I took him up that night, and he was..." Lynn withdrew, moving herself to the side and saw Lincoln. "He wasn't okay after that. We found out Lucy was pregnant after Luan up and left the night after, since your grandparents decided she'd needed some help. As for Lucy..."

Lupa flinched, prepping herself for it.

"Everyone called for the baby to be aborted, except her. Lucy wanted it to live, and... Well, a compromise was reached. You would be allowed to live, if you were not our problem. Lucy gave you up, and that was it for you. How... How did you find us?"

Lupa was born unintended, and she was questioning her purpose now. Everything was a sick joke now. An accident is what she was, and a nuisance to the family she belonged to. "A poem she left me... So, he's my dad?" Lupa stared down at the fallen Lincoln.

"He didn't want you at all, and I'm... I'm sorry you came here in high hopes."

"My mom killed herself. Is this wh"

Lynn coughed, looking away.

"There's more, isn't there? Look at her!" Lupa pointed to Lacy. "You're hypocrites! You had a baby with each other, and-"

"Lucy was the only one who found out about us. She was so hurt because I did not have to give you up. She- I'm sorry..." Lynn sighed, feeling guilty the same way she had when she found Lucy had slit her wrists in the bathroom tub to bleed out.

"No... I don't understand!" Lupa gripped tightly on the flaps of the jacket's pockets. "Why her? Why both of you?! This life should be mines!" Her blue eyes turned blood red. The tears dripped down, but Lupa wasn't giving in to a breakdown of epic proportions. "This isn't fair! She's a demon child like mine! We both don't deserve to live!"

"M-mom?" The youngest child there was distraught when the thought of her being something created from an unholy act dug its way in her head. And it hurt her just as much as it did them. Abd it had been a long hidden secret, still able to be, until the recent turn of events.

How funny it was to Lupa, and how devastating it was to Lacy. No wonder they never missed church every Sunday. She felt even more disgusted now. "Mom, why was I born? Why did you bother?" Little Lacy was doomed with the unveilings tonight.

Lupa was going around, knocking things over and breaking whatever she was able to. She knocked a coffee table over, brought down hung paintings and pictures of the family. Several books came off of the bookshelves. Lupa was growling with such fury. Her eyes were that of a ravaging predator. "YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!"

"We didn't know she'd find out. And we didn't mean to make her do that. It's-"

Lupa pulled down the entire bookshelf, making a conundrum of soft and loud clattering noises. "ALL YOUR FAULT!" Lupa proceeded to break the front windows with her own fists. The knuckles took up cuts all over. She bleed more with each punch she delivered to the windows. Her rage then leveled down, while Lacy's heart beat had gone high.

She had let go of Lynn, but remained at her side. "That's enough..."

Lupa's hair was hiding her expression, "Easy for you to say. You're the one they love, the one they cared for. I'm just a fucking curse."

None of them objected. Lacy didn't know how to respond, for it was true. Or maybe it was a lie in dsguise. "I'm sure-"

"You know nothing. You're not normal at all, freak." Lupa climbed through the broken window, because fuck a door. "Have fun living this lie, you heartless fucks. See you all in hell." And with that, Lupa was gone.

Lacy helped her mom up. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm- Go help your father, okay?" Now, Lynn didn't want to look at her. She moved up, slowly groaning in agony. She ignored the two, wanting more wine down her system. This night was the most fucked up one she'd ever had; and the unexpected continuation of the second fucked up night in her life.

Lincoln had a truly hard time listening in. All he wanted was for that cruel thing of an experience to never return to him. But, Lucy cursed them all before her own demise. Maybe she was below them, laughing at Lincoln. He told Lupa that, without dialogue, he didn't want anything to do with her. Not them, nor her grandparents. She didn't understand where the hatred came from.

But she did so, and she wished she hadn't gone to seek it all out. She didn't even run in sadness and anger. Lacy was another incest child, but she was treated just like a normal one. In Lupa's mind, that was unfair. Unfair and very hypocritical of them.

Both of them knew how it was, and pretended it was okay, to the point they believed it so. The unsuspecting Lacy Loud was born through a lie and lived it for so long. While it was true Lincoln and Lynn loved each other, they carried the regret and worries, until Lacy spoke her first words. And it was just the beginning for the three, now that all of them, including Lacy's half-sister, in a way, had entered the circle.

It started with that poem. The gift that was supposed to be something joyous to her. If anything, it brought Lupa everything but that.

To hell with everything. She didn't plan to go back to Rennis anymore. No, there was something else she wanted to do now. The glass in her tightened hands kept burrowing itself, so she loosened the her grips. Pretty soon, the laughs were going to end. And she had been assigned as the closing act. It was time to wrap up the show.

Lynn kept on chugging down the last of the wine down. She wanted to forget everything. Damn her for not buying beer this morning? If only...

Lacy knew it was time to leave them, not being able to motion her father up. They made a sister kill herself, and it was not at all warming for her to know. Then, there was the fact of the treatment; she was a princess to them, but the other one was viewed... Like nothing but trash. Lupa made a point there, and Lacy felt she no longer deserved to be daddy's little girl. It made her awful to know that she wasn't just a product of incest, but she was _their_ product of incest.

The woods was a great place for solitude at this hour. Nothing and nobody could bother her. She pulled up both sleeves, setting herself against a big tree she found. Even though she decided to take her own life, the act was hard to carry out. She held the shard of glass up to one of her wrists.

She was crying again, wandering back again to what could've been and what it'll never be. Lupa suffered this way, in the way the others didn't. Maybe it was like Lucy's own pain, the equivalent. She took a deep breath before slitting.

"Mmmmm!" She bit her lip lightly, and then went for the other wrist. The cold blood was flowing downand past her hands. She set them down, giving in to a slow, but disturbing death. Through it, she had not ceased her soft crying. "M-mom..."

And then, it claimed her. She lumped to the side, already pale than she had been alive. The white-haired girl, who had gone on a quest to get out of a life that had nothing, was dead.

Lacy isolated herself in her room and with the thoughts still in mind. Nothing was going to be the same anymore. The girl hid herself under her covers, and teared herself up to sleep.

 **Sunday**

The poem was still hidden away under the late Lupa's bed. It wasn't her business, but Liby kept rereading it over and over again. That's why she figured Lupa left. She gathered enough hope to believe there was a chance. Liby could not help but feel happy for Lupa, but it went two ways. She toyed with her whoopee cushion in a zombified manner.

That's when an average tall woman, with a green shirt and tan khakis and a pair of glasses made her debut in Liby's life. "Greetings, child."

Liby hadn't seen her before. Maybe she was looking to-

With a smile, Liby pleasantly replied, "Hi there. I'm Liby. Who are you?"

"How would you like to come home with me?"

The daughter of Luan Loud smiled with ecstatic. "Yes, yes I would!" She looked back at her mess of gags still on Lupa's empty bed. "Oh, I-"

The woman's hidden hand revealed a blue, bigger backpack from behind. "This is for you. Go on, gather your stuff."

Liby's smiling widened up to her entire face. She scooped up all her toys into the backpack, all set to go. "So... You're my new mother?"

"Technically, yes. But... You may refer me as Lisa," the woman replied.

* * *

 **AN: And that's a wrap! Poor Lupa, may she rest in... Oh. Anyways, the ending is a think-about, and things should be clear, but indirectly of course. Now you know; all three sin daughters have been made in play. If I hid Liby's name until this chapter, it might've been obvious who she was, so...**

 **Until next time, readers.**


	5. The New Girl

**Weeks Later**

Lacy patiently waited for class to start. Math, her hardest subject, was the first one that the day began with. Her orange notebook and a lead pencil were out already. Just a few more minutes until class began again. She yawned, scratching her back lightly.

It's been days since the usual texts from her parents had stopped coming on its routine daily basis. That's because she distanced herself from them, the true consequence of learning her true heritage. They sank into a strangers level, no longer really socializing.

She would shoot hoops by herself, which was lonely, but it was better than playing with the ones who kept secrets from her. Lunch and dinnertimes were flat out silent, save for the sound of sppons hitting the plates and the chairs that scraped along the floor.

She never saw Lupa again, but she found out her grizzly fate through the local news. Lynn was there as well, but turned off the news and sealed herself back in her room. This further disgusted Lacy, seeing as how Lynn simply brushed it off without batting an eye. Even after death, Lupa amounted to nothing in her parents' eyes.

The bell rang out, silencing the rowdy boys behind her. Their howls and laughter died down as the teacher stepped foot inside. "Good morning, class," Mrs. Fink, a middle aged brunette, grinned. "Before we begin today's lesson on page 142, I'd like to introduce a new student."

Liby wandered in, looking shyly among her new peers. "Hi," she waved. "I'm Liby."

Only about three or so of the kids replied with their hands. Lacy gave a hearty smile, showing off her perfect set of teeth. The seat in front of her was empty, mainly because everyone preferred the back spots of the room. Lacy chose her desk in the second row, being around the first to leave when school was over.

"Okay, Liby. Why don't you take a seat right there?" Mrs. Fink pointed to the desk.

Liby set her blue backpack to hang on the chair.

"Alright, everybody. Let's open our textbooks to..."

 **Lunch**

Lacy joined a quick game of kickball with a mixture of grade students. She readied herself as the ball rolled its way.

"No fair! We're sure to lose with her on the rival team!"

"Ha, sucks to be you!"

She was used to the remarks the other players made amongst themselves. Usually, whichever team she was on, she performed greatly. For a twelve year old, she had strong kicks that tortured the kids who rushed to retrieve the ball.

She did it once more, giving it a great soar through the air.

"Damn it, we lost! Let's just go home," one of the players groaned.

Liby sat alone in a bench, scrolling through a joke book. Her back was to the field, so she didn't see the ball incoming. She giggled every five seconds, enjoying herself.

"Girl, watch your head!" Lacy warned.

It bobbled her head, and changed direction. Liby knocked the book out of her hands after the nasty faceplant. That gave her forehead a papercut.

"Yikes!" Lacy's morals got the better of her. "Are- Are you alright there? I'm sorry!"

Liby rubbed the back of her head and picked up the book. "Ow, that hurt!" Liby looked back at the field. "Did you kick from that far?"

"Uhhh, yeah, I did. Want me to take you to the nurse?" Lacy spotted the linear cut on Liby's forehead. "We need to get that patched up!"

"Yeah, I didn't pack any bandages," Liby informed, holding her book. "Man, you have a strong leg."

Lacy escorted her into the hallway. "Again, I'm sorry about that. No one's never been hurt before, so-"

"I must be special," Liby giggled. Lacy knew her way around the main offices, having gotten herself in trouble every now and then. The last time she was her, was due to her breaking a boy's arm last year. Despite it being an accident that time, no one believed her, as most of the times she was sent to the principal's office was because of her excessive roughhousing.

She reached and knocked on the school nurse's office. "Hello?"

"Come in," came the muffled voice from inside.

The two let themselves in. "Hi, my friend has received a cut, we just need a bandage is all."

"Oh, sure, sweetie!" The nurse reached into her drawers and took out a bandage laced in blue peelings. "Here you are. Say, you're the new student here, aren't ya?"

Liby nodded in agreement, taking the bandage from the nurse's hands. "Yes, I'm Liby Loud, ma'am."

 _A Loud?_ Lacy was surprised by this. She looked at Liby again, paying more attention to detail this time. "Your last name is Loud, too?"

"Too? You mean yours is? That's pretty cool! And yeah, it is. But..." Liby attached the bandage to her cut. "Thank you," she kindly said to the nurse, who in turn nodded with a cheery grin.

The two girls casually walked out. Lacy was raised several questions at the fact Liby shared about herself. There was a remote possibility that Liby could've been a relative, opened up once Lupa stepped foot into Lacy's life, even though it sounded skeptical if she pondered it. Then again, Loud was a common last name, and the odds of meeting another person who had the surname weren't low to an impossible level. Yes, this could've been it. A simple coincidence. What were the odds another member of her newly found extended family could have turned out to be this girl with braces?

"But what?"

"It's... I'm an adopted child. It's not my birth name."

Lacy kicked herself a few times inside, feeling the urge to laugh out loud. For a second, she considered something so silly, enough to humiliate her. "Oh, haha. I'm sorry I asked."

"Wait, I get it. You thought we were related or something?"

Lacy wiggled her fingers, not sure how to answer that. "Well, um, I don't know, I mean..."

"Well, I don't blame you. Let me guess, you're an only child?"

They sat at an empty bench, in which Lacy had then forgotten about her kickball game. "I am, yeah. But... Recently, things got complicated. It's really personal, but... You're lucky you don't have to deal with your real-" She pushed it too far, stopping herself to not hurt her new friend, if she was easily offended or something. "Well, parent drama, I mean. This involved a long lost relative who came out of nowhere, out of many aunts I found out I had, when I've been told I didn't have family beyond my parents."

"Oh, uhh, that sounds heavy, sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, well..." She then sighed, tapping away at her lap. "So, you new to town, right?"

"I am, but my mother, or Ms. Loud, as I prefer to address her, seems to know her way around. The orphanage I've lived in isn't too far from here, by the way."

"Oh, really?" Come to think of it, she didn't know where exactly Lupa came from. The name or location of the orphanage Lupa spent her years in were unknown to Lacy, as of yet that is. "What's the name of the place?"

"Rennis Orphanage. Why?"

"I was... Just wondering is all. So, you like jokes huh?"

"Comedy is my thing. There's a few gags in my backpack, too. Whoever my parents were, they definitely had a thing for comedy."

"Oooh, a prankster. Haha, sounds devious."

"I've had my fill back there. Ready for new victims!" Liby couldn't help but laugh hard. "Also, I've never seen someone with that hair color. Did you mix it with white dye or something? It looks ghostly-"

"No, it's- Ugh, I was born with it. I used to like it, because it made me feel different. Now that I know how different I am, I don't like it anymore."

"I won't pry, but if you dislike it, then just dye it darker, or like mines. I could use a twin, haha."

"A twin, huh? You're slightly taller than me! How dare you!" Lacy jokingly punched Liby's shoulder. "Let me catch up, and then we'll talk. So, you liking school?"

"I am. It's bigger than I thought it would be. So many kids, and such."

"Even though that's true, I'm not too popular like the other girls crave to be. I'm more into sports, and something of a nerd."

"Sporty girl, meet class clown."

"Class- Ha, make jokes, I dare ya!"

Lunch period ended there once the familiar bell sang its song. "Let's get going. Don't wanna be late, you know."

The rest of the school day was pretty mellow, even the times when Lacy was struggling with her history class. The twenty question pop quiz on the American Revolution proved to be a tad too much. Not that she didn't study, but rather she did so, but not paying her full attention to it.

It was the history that was somehow relatable to Lacy; British colonists broke away from Great Britain to found what became America. To her, it sounded like a betrayal, for the details were incomprehensible to her. She pictured her parents to represent the colonists, and the rest of their family as the enemies of the British Empire.

That was something of a strategy that helped her remember some of the answers, but stopped at the eleventh question, unable to complete it. She let go of the pencil, succumbing to failure.

Liby, on the other hand, had a free pass, as she had not been there to study the particular chapter. She was given an assignment to read the next lesson in store for them.

Lacy turned in her quiz, preparing for the worst. "Dang it."

Liby passed a note subtlety to her.

 **What's wrong?**

"Probably didn't pass," she whispered. "Oh well."

The school day ended on that note. Lacy chose to wait for her new friend, remaining seated and all set to go. "Geez, you're slow."

"Am I?" Libyz zipped her blue backpack, picking it up from its place. "No need to rush anything. You walking home?"

"Of course, it's a good walking exercise. Do you?"

"Yeah, but I'm still memorizing my home address. 1218 Franklin Ave is where I live."

"Ah, that's less of walk than from here to my house. I'm like on the far edge of town."

"What, no car?"

"I get rides to school, but leg it back home. Fair deal, because I'm not at full strength to walk on mornings."

The two passed the school grounds, making a turn to the right side of the street, beginning their venture back home. "So, uh," Liby stuttered. "I don't suppose I could ask you for your-"

"Digits? I don't mind, sure. Gimme your phone."

Liby reached to her backpack, taking out a phone similar to what Lacy owned.

"Oh, a spoiled brat, huh?" She teased. "This is last year's model, but they're still expensive as they've been." Lacy placed in her own contact on it, seeing only another contact labeled as, **Ms. Loud.** "Alright, there you go. I'll text you when I can. Dumb homework is the death of me," she complained.

"Sure thing. You seem like a pretty cool person. And a bit dangerous too, I might add."

"Yeesh, no need to remind me. Again, I'm sorry about that."

"Why so apologetic? It's just a minor cut," she pointed out. "It'll heal overnight." Her house was coming up in the next block. "This is the street I live in. It's a big house for two people, as she's not married, actually."

"Oh, sounds like there are spare rooms, huh?"

"Yeah, anyways, I should get going. It's been nice to have met you."

"Oh, ah, I'm Lacy, by the way. I don't think I've shared my name through all that time."

"Lacy. Nice name. Well, see you at school," Liby said with smile, waving goodbye.

Lacy pulled out a Gatorade from her backpack, taking and gulping down a quarter of the drink. "Ahhh, much better." She held in her hand throughout the rest of the walk, which she went about in a slow manner. Lacy wasn't too eager to go back home to the uncomfortable awkward atmosphere.

Everything reversed in such a hideous state, so much that she believed Lupa had it better than her. That poor girl just wanted to find out why she wasn't loved, and Lacy truly felt sorry for her. She wondered if things would've been different for herself if not for Lupa's arrival.

Would they have told her she was a product of incest at a more mature age? Would they have kept her in the dark about everything? She lusted for such answers, but knew she could never ask them, for she was frightened of knowing.

No use trying to contact her other relatives now. As told by them, Lucy was the only one who knew about Lynn and Lincoln. But that was long ago, and maybe someone else got wind of it. Then, there was the caller who warned Lynn the day it began. Not to mention they called her phone as well. And that someone definitely knew, and Lacy scratched off the possibility of it being Lucy, seeing as how it turned out she was dead sometime after Lupa's birth.

Someone else knew, which meant it might not have ended with Lupa. No, not at all.

Lacy and Lynn rarely talked during her basketball games. That's how distant they were, but they did eye each other on the court.

Lynn usually stayed in school for a couple more hours, giving the team warm ups and timed exercises. Lacy dropped out in the first week that passed after Lupa's suicide. She only did so to get away from her mother, but solo practiced at home in those hours she had to herself.

Lacy found it less exciting, with no challengers to try and beat her. Today, she skipped the warm ups and throwing techniques, trading it for her dull homework. Her mind wasn't fully there either, but she tried to fill in the blanks of what she'd been assigned. Algebra, history, english. You name it.

 **5:32 P.M.** was the time when she was only halfway done.

In her younger years, Lincoln acted as her tutor, pointing out the multiples of nine, showing how to properly add grammar marks, and other homework related tasks. Of course, that was when there was less homework, and when he never came late like he did now.

She had to depend on herself, being old enough to do so. Somehow, it proved to be challenging. Or maybe it was something else she didn't take into account.

 _A mystery caller, and the origins of Lupa. Hmmm..._

Those two things were all that had been missing from the equation, but there wasn't a true incentive to look further into it, so she didn't bother. But, was it really over? Lacy wasn't too sure if she wanted it to be. What she had now wasn't what she preferred, in all honesty. The only thing she could agree on is going on a subtle hunt to get to know the relatives she'd never meet. The easy was, asking her parents, was a no-no, so it was gonna be a stealth mission, if she went through with it. The trouble wouldn't bother her if she were to be caught.

Her phone vibrated through, receiving a text from Lynn that read;

 **I'm going to be coming home late, something came up at your father's workplace. Leftovers are in the fridge.**

Great, more time being in isolation. She might as well have hung out with Liby for a majority of the time.

6 O'clock came by the time Lacy reached her new friend's house. The plain white curtains on all windows perfectly concealed the house from being exposed to the outside world. The porch was dusty enough to qualify for a good sweeping. She knocked thrice, not knowing if anyone was home. It was a chance she took.

Fifteen seconds passed, but she waited a bit more. Pity it wasn't the other way around, so that Lacy could have let Liby know she dropped in all of a sudden. Twenty five seconds and still nothing. Maybe they weren't home, and coming here was a waste of time. She backed out of the porch, letting out an angry wail.

Just as she nearly passed the hedge that divided the next house over, Lacy heard the rattling of the doorknob.

"Hello?" Liby looked around, confused.

Lacy made herself visible, waving with a bit of panic. "Hey! Sorry, I didn't-"

"Lacy? Hey, what, uhhh, what's going on?"

The short girl shrugged her shoulders, not knowing how to answer. "My parents are away, and well, I guess I got bored," she began.

"Oh, sorry to hear that. Well, you gonna stand there or you gonna come inside. She's away, too." Liby moved to the side, waving her arm past her to say welcome. "Mi casa es su casa."

"Thanks," she said shyly, moving inside the strange house. "Sorry for coming in like this."

"Aw, you're too nice," Liby complimented. "Bet your parents are lucky to-" She hit her own nerve, coughing in place. "Well, yeah, you know."

"So, boredom? You sure it's not something else? You look... Actually, you seem so quiet, like, less enthusiastic. Something wrong?" Not even a week of getting to know each other and already had Liby sensed something was troubling little Lacy. "It's not that thing you told me about at school, is it?"

"Something like that..." Lacy answered.

The living room she found herself in had a red, round carpet centered in the middle. Two brown bookshelves, which held five rows each, were placed next to each other on the left side of the lviing room. All of the shelves were taken up by trophies of various shapes and sizes, which amazed Lacy. "Look at all these-"

"Don't touch! It's one of her rules..." Liby strictly informed.

"All these are hers? There must be like fifty of these!"

"Thirty nine, actually. I counted."

"Still alot. What does she do?"

"Everything, I guess. They're all for different awards, take a look."

Lacy grew close enough to read the labels on some of them. Indeed, they were for outstanding achievements, such as publishing books, founding a charity, etc. There was even one for science division research, all of which further astounded Lacy. "You've got quite a mother, here. She must be old."

"Actually, she's in her thirties, I believe. Trust me, I know old when I see it."

"Is that right?"

"My caretaker at the orphanage was definitely old, but she was nice, too."

"If you don't mind me asking, how old were you when you got there?"

"You mean a drop off?" Liby was an open book, but Lacy wasn't sure where her limits were, if she had any. "I was a baby when it happened. So, I've been there all my life. Most of us were, actually."

"You ever wonder about-"

"My real parents?" Liby had bore that in mind from time to time. "Yeah, but it doesn't really hurt me. I've had such great people around me there. If I was kept, who knows if I'd have been wanted. I mean, there's a reason why my parents left me there, right?"

"There's always a reason..." Lacy's mind wandered again back to an image of the late Lupa Loud.

"I didn't really wonder, until..." Liby looked down in what Lacy identified as sadness. "My last roommate in the orphanage found a poem or something. I thought she left randomly, but I found it after she left. She seemed so excited to finally have the chance to meet her parents, when I can't even-" Liby discontinued, wiping an eye away from Lacy.

"A poem?" Lacy remembered Lupa mentioning a poem, which was what led her to them. "Your roommate, a girl, right?"

Chances of the roommate being Lupa were not bleak as it was a minute ago. Pieces began to scramble around for Lacy, and all she had to was keep asking.

"Yes, she's around my age."

"What? How... How old are you?"

"Thirteen, why?"

The same age as Lupa... Give or take a few days, maybe weeks. Liby Loud, adopted by someone with the last name the others had. The way it looked before was purely coincidental, up until now. The events Lynn explained was that two of their sisters, rather than one, had raped Lincoln. Two of them, and since they knew Lucy was pregnant, what were the odds the other one was? What was her name? It slipped from Lacy's memory, but she did remember that the second one had fled the house.

If it happened that there was a third child of incest, could Liby actually be the one no one seemed to know about, but her? It all fit for her then and there.

"I'm a year younger than you. Also... This girl, did she have-" If Lacy was to ask, questions would ve raised. Sure, the young comedy lover was an open book as of yet, but was she open minded? "Did she have white hair?"

The face Liby made worried Lacy. "You met Lupa? Did she come around?"

There wasn't enough time to make up a good cover story, but the truth was devastating and skeptical at the same time.

"Lacy?"

"Do you have that poem now?"

"No, I left it there, in case she would come back."

"She's... Not returning back there..." Lacy blabbed.

"W-what? What do you mean by that?"

"Remember when I said I was dealing with some drama? Like, with family, specifically a... Cousin I didn't know I had?"

Liby nodded, listening closely. "Uh-huhhhh..."

"Lupa."

"Lu-" It didn't take long to realize what Lacy was getting at. "Lupa's your-"

"She's who I meant. We're related, but there's more to it. It's way complicated, but I can't say anymore, I'm sorry." She needed more to verify or dismiss the theory that Liby was another Lupa case.

"So she's with you? Or...-"

"No, she's gone," Lacy flat out answered. "She's with her mother."

"Oh, well, that's great to hear! I'm glad she's doing okay," Liby grinned.

"You have no idea... Anyways, yeah, I'm curious about that poem."

"I only read it once, but I can't-" Liby remembered a line within the poem;

 _We are of blood Loud_

"We are of blood Loud. That was one of the actual lines-"

"Are you serious?!"

"Then... If-"

"It's not a coincidence you're adopted by a Loud, if it turns out she's related to me. I told you, I have many aunts. And, there's this unknown caller who warned my mom about Lupa before she came. She called me too, and-"

"You think the caller's my new mother?"

"It's not impossible, but we haven't found out who it was. What do you think?"

"Well, I invited you over so you wouldn't be bored. But you're raising me from that train, so, ha!"

"So, will you help me?"

"You're asking me to find out if this really is your aunt who adopted me, and to find out why she called the both of you. Is that right?"

"That's correct. At least find out her name-"

"That's easy. It's-"

Lisa Loud interrupted them, emerging from her private quarters. She was, or seemed to be, surprised to see an uninvited guest in her living room. "Salutations, little one!" Her lisp was almost unnoticeable.

Lacy gulped at the feeling of dread that clouded over her after Lisa appeared. Something felt terribly wrong here, moreso than the past events.


	6. The Basement

Lacy was invited over for dinner, but left quickly afterwards. She gave Lisa a firm handshake, calling her cooking "equilateral," to which Lisa laughed. "See you, Libster!" Liby chuckled as Lacy let herself out, actually booking it once the skies began to darken.

"I see you're already making friends on your first day of school," Lisa said, adjusting her glasses. "Tell me about her."

"She's really cool, and knows much about sports. She gave me this, too," Liby pointed at her forehead. "Although it wasn't intentional. She's pretty nice, as well."

"You sure know how to select these juveniles, don't you? Speaking of, are you freshly accommodated in school?"

"You mean if I'm comfortable? Yeah, I liked it. There's more kids than I'm familiar with, maybe a bit too much."

"I am delighted to hear such news, Liby. Have they left you homework assignments?"

"Yeah, I'm just supposed to read and study for the next lessons and such. Simple stuff."

"If there's something of your homework in which you seek assistance, don't hesitate to ask. I'll be in my workshop in the basement. Knock if you need something," Lisa regulated. "This is rule number one as I've mentioned before. Agree to that, and we shall have no altercation of any kind." She smiled casually and got up from her seat at the table, taking her finished plate of spaghetti to the sink.

Liby was okay with whoever ended up with her, as long as they fit her personal qualifications, which were tendencies and the personality of the nice people she had spent the majority of her life around.

Lisa Loud wasn't much for clear emotions, but that was likely because she was a woman married to her work. She'd be gone by mornings and return at late afternoons, sometimes even night. The fridge was loaded with frozen and pre-cooked food, so Liby wouldn't be starved to death. Between them, they had only a handful set of rules, some of them being unorthodox ones to Liby. They were;

 **1\. Never go into the workshop in the basement.**

 **2\. Whenever in recreational activities away, always let me know where and with whom you are.**

 **3\. Sleep by nine o'clock tops.**

 **4\. No parties allowed.**

The rest of them were simple ones that she could easily regulate. Liby agreed to it, but was a bit curiously drawn to whatever was in the basement. She didn't want to ask out of rudeness, ao she just nodded and simply said yes.

The sheet it was written on hung on the door inside of her new room. She had a queen size bed rather than a twin size one she was used to, which she deemed a bit excessive to find. She also had a desk, taken up by a computer. It seemed she had her own Wi-Fi as well, and none of this was what she expected at all. Was she secretly the VIP of some program or something she didn't know about? Not that she didn't like it, but she couldn't get over the possible trouble, if there was any, Lisa went through to arrange this. All to keep Liby entertained endlessly.

Liby was worried that Lisa might've been upset with her about letting a friend stay over for awhile. Sure, there was no rule against it but then again, clarifications were to be in order as of yet. Lisa didn't display any sign of anger on seeing Lacy, so all seemed good at the moment. She definitely did not want to break or rebel against the person who had paved the way for a change in her life.

Even though she was, and felt she had to be, grateful at the luck that dawned on her, the hard part was saying goodbye to them.

Here she was, going around YouTube for videos that guaranteed giggle fits. In ten minutes, she came across something that didn't seem spooky at first; Luan Loud's old channel popped up as a recommended channel, so Liby decided to see how good this girl was.

All the dates they had been uploaded were years ago, stuff of a past generation. Three videos of over a thousand or so, and this Luan cracked up a hell lot of glorious golden moments. Liby laughed at the many pranks Luan was pulling on her sisters in the background. It all stopped when Lynn was egged directly. Liby paused, noticing the uncanny resemblance she and Lacy shared.

At first glimpse, it was just a random Easter egg. There were a lot of lookalikes walking about, so she dismissed it- At least until another so-called coincidence popped up. She didn't bother even reading the descriptions.

 **Luan Loud delivers a different yolk to tell her sister Lynn!**

Luan Loud. Luan... Loud...

There was that last name again, but that wasn't all; her own name had four letters just as they had. Lisa's was as well. _Was Lacy's name spelled with an E or no?_

Liby reached for her phone, finally getting the reason to shoot Lacy a text;

 **About what you told me earlier, any of your aunts have names exactly four letters long? And is your mother named Lynn?**

She felt an intense wave of fear flow over her. The young prankster was facing a frightening type of the unknown, after agreeing to help Lacy uncover the mysteries that seemed to be digging out from a surface. There was no telling what they would find at the of the journey, and there was no telling how long it would be. What Liby didn't know was the main key point that could have made pieces fall faster; Lacy intentionally left out the part where she was the product of incest, and also the theory of Liby herself possibly being another.

Her phone buzzed heavily onto the surface of the desk, making a hellish noise that hurt her eardrums.

 **...HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!**

That was Lacy's reply to her, which confirmed the girl in the red and white jersey really was a young version of Lacy's mother. It also told Liby that Lisa Loud had a higher chance of turning out to be Lacy's relative.

Then, Luan Loud, who undoubtedly loved humor, bore identical resemblance to Liby herself in many ways, even having braces, was enough to make Liby wonder if this was actually her own birth mother. She replayed the part where Luan threw the egg at Lynn. She paused around, squinting as hard as she could at both of them. The same freckles seen on Lacy were also on Lynn Loud's face, so this definitely was Lacy's mother.

But the variable that was inconsistent was that Liby was pulled from a random place, not around them. Then again, so was Lupa, and Lacy revealed their relation to each other. Maybe all three of them were related.

She replied to Lacy's text;

 **There's a YouTube channel I think you have to see. Even I can't believe it...**

Liby closed the tab on the screen, deciding it was enough on her plate. She mildly blamed Lacy for bringing her into whatever the hell she could call this. She noticed time had gone by rather quickly. It was less than an hour away from nine o'clock. She decided to head to bed after seeing Lacy's last text for the night;

 **You found something?!**

She turned off her phone, leaving it on the desk, and switched off the computers. Liby yawned widely, covering her mouth while at it. She flicked off the lights and tucked herself in. There was no need to notify her mother she was heading to sleep. She had two warm covers, both a mixture of white and yellow; the exact color scheme as the prankster she learned about five minutes ago.

But with the ton of evidence presented, Liby felt like it could be nothing. She didn't know what to make of it. If Lisa was indeed her aunt, why had Liby been given to Rennis if she would've been returned to them?

Unless...

Lacy did say Lupa was with her mother again. So maybe that's where this was going. Liby was going to meet her mother, or even both parents! She stretched out a wide smile, hoping this was the case. It wasn't luck with her, it was a holy blessing by The Man Upstairs.

She closed her eyes, letting her body do all the talking as she cozied up. The moonlight infiltrated through the corners of the windows, sparing the room from an eternal darkness. By then, she brushed away her thoughts, engulfing in beautiful, beautiful sleep.

* * *

There was a faint clattering and banging coming from below. Liby turned on her side, hoisting herself up at the eerie sounds. This was the fourth time she had heard it since she moved in here. Could've been rats running around within the walls. Liby was thirsty for some water, so she slid off of her covers.

The floorboards creaked with every step she took, and she wasn't even in the hall yet. She tiptoed her way out, hoping Lisa was asleep. She was unsure of the time it currently was, but she assumed it was midnight, or maybe even after. If only she had telekinesis to float down undetected.

She peered into the hallway, seeing the other used room closed, but a light shining underneath the door. Liby moved quickly but slowly, crouching down until she reached the end of the hallway. Luckily for her, the stairs presented no challenge.

The second she made the first step down, a muffled scream wailed more closer than the clattering. It didn't sound like a rat, but a person.

Liby listened for more sounds, but nothing came, so she kept venturing down for her water. She turned on the kitchen lights, going for a water bottle inside the fridge. She closed it quietly, and rushed to turn off the lights, but another disturbing cry gnawed at her.

The place it seemed to be coming from was... _Is that the basement?_

This was the number one rule in the list Liby kept track of. Lisa's private workshop where she did whatever it was Liby hadn't been given details about. The young girl grew a bit curious, actually. The door that led to the basement had three different locks on it. She pulled on the knob anyways. "Oh..."

"Hello?" Yes, it was the voice of a woman through the door. Liby placed her head alongside the door, holding her breath. Who were the cries belonging to? And why was there someone in there? Was this why Lisa said to not go in there? Was... She holding someone captive?

"I can hear you," she said.

No, it couldn't have been that. Lisa seemed like a noble woman who cared for more than she could bite. But, the answers were behind the door. She fidgeted with the doorknob. "Hello?"

"Help me!"

Liby gasped at this cry, not noticing the silhouette nearing from behind. "Liby! What is the meaning of this?!"

The girl dropped the water bottle, made a full turn and jumped backwards upon being spooked. "I'm- I'm sorry! I just wanted some-"

"Why are you prying around my private HQ?"

Liby stuttered, "No, I'm- I just came for some water is all. I heard a scream behind... There." Liby nodded to the basement while picking up her water bottle. "It's not the first time I heard something though. I thought it was rats or-"

Lisa chuckled, "A scream, you say? Rest assured, there is no one down there." Lisa slammed a fist on the door for show. "My workshop's just me playing around with technology. It's something like a computer lab down there, in case you were wondering." Lisa placed a hand on Liby, an starting act of further bonding. "Didn't think it was important to share. As far as I'd know, you'd be uninterested in what you'd find down there."

"Oh, so-"

"Sometimes I sleep while they're on. That's happened too many times already. Anyways, it's time you returned to proper slumber, so come on." She led Liby out, guiding her back to her room with hands on the girl. Lisa stood watch on the doorway, making sure Liby was going to sleep.

"Well, goodnight then," Liby said sleepily, turning over away from Lisa.

"Sweet dreams, child," Lisa replied, closing the door behind.

* * *

The two spent their lunch in the empty class, catching up on Liby's updates on their case.

"So, wait. Let met guess this straight. You found a YouTube channel you claim belongs to one of my aunts? And in one of the videos, my own mother was there?"

Liby played the video for Lacy to see. Young Lynn took an egg to her face, and let out a cry of disgust.

"Wow, yeah. She definitely is my mother," Lacy stated. "I think I need to take notes. Uhhh, give me a pen and paper, will you?"

"Sure," Liby agreed. She placed two sheets on Lacy's desk, wondering why she needed them. "Pen? You have some pencils, Lace! Don't fool with me, shorty!"

"Pffft, I don't wanna waste my lead. Ink me, Libster."

"Fine, here," Liby reluctantly gave up a blue pen, which Lacy snatched up. "What's this about?"

Lacy began to scribble non-stop, writing the names she had seen on the list with the "yes" and "no" answers. "All of my aunts, they literally have four letter names, all beginning with a L, and..." She wrote down the ones she could remember. "Look, yesterday... I thought your mother, uhh Ms. Loud, in general terms, sounded familiar."

 **Lori Loud;** **Leni Loud;** **Luna Loud;** **Lana Loud;** **Lola Loud; L** **isa Loud;** **Lily Loud**

"Boy, that's a lotta relatives."

"And that's excluding my-" Lacy almost said parents, but had to be careful around that fact. Who knows what that could mean to Liby? Who knows how she'd take it? "My mother."

"Wait, Lisa. That's the name of my mother. So..."

Lacy went ahead to write more.

 **Rennis; Connection to Liby?**

 **? Reason Liby adopted?**

 **Lupa finds mother, leaves. Mysterious caller notified that there was another daughter (?) around - Liby?**

"Up to now, I'm so positive it was Lisa who called my mother about Lupa. The voice was a whisper, so I couldn't really tell. Look, so, like I said, we've met Lupa, and there was something of a dispute. I didn't know about her, and my parents pretended she didn't exist. As of today, they still do. She came looking for her parents, and they tried to kick her out. She did find out who they were, and that's basically it. She's... I hope she's happy..."

The tone Liby sensed in Lacy's voice sounded like she didn't mean it; there was a quieting slowlness that told Liby another story. "Do you really?"

"W-what? Why would I lie?!" She accused.

"No, I mean... Ugh, I don't know. I'm a bit freaked out about this. So, I might be a Loud, right? What are we looking for? I don't underst-"

"Libster! We're just looking... Or, I'm looking at least, for why this has been happening. Lisa played a part in warning my parents about her escaping, and then- And then, she calls me, like she wanted me to find-" Lacy took a step back from once again venturing into deep territory.

"Find what?"

"Uh... Nothing, nevermind."

"Lacyyyy..." Liby shook the latter by her shoulders. "What don't I know?"

"Nothing I don't. Look, we know the what's now. Lisa was keeping track of the both of you, it seems. But... Why was she? There's-"

"What are you saying? There was a reason she adopted me? Are you... Joking?"

"Lib...-"

"Lacy, I get the feeling you're holding out on me. What happened between your parents and Lupa? The way you go on about it, it doesn't sound like it was good. So, you gonna share what this dispute is?"

"Geez, I don't know. It's... It's more complicated if you knew everything. Complicated and hard to bear. It... It could affect you, involve you further than this, so I don't know-"

"Oh, come on! Lay it on me," Liby demanded. This was by far scarier than yesterday's events. Lacy had something horrendous to share, and Liby wanted everything, regardless if she was ready for it. There, the prankster felt the intend to sweat, trembling a little now that she had seen how serious Lacy had graduated to.

"I thought you brought me to help you, Lace. What don't I know, Lace? What don't I know?"

Lacy folded her written sheet, placing it away inside one of her notebooks. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"Oh, come on. If you weren't going to be honest with me, why even bring all this up?"

Lacy faced her head away from her, letting out a disgruntled exhale.

"Will... Will you ever tell me? I'm entitled to the full truth. Why was there a fight? Lace?"

The shorter girl nodded mindlessly, looking back at Liby. "Okay... Okay, yeah. But..." Lacy looked over Liby's shoulders, "Promise me you'll keep this to yourself..." Lacy went ahead to vastly write on the other piece of paper.

"I will," Liby agreed, still worried about what it was she was about to learn. "I pinkie promise."

Lacy chuckled once Liby poked out her pinkie. "What year do you think we're in?"

"Fair enough. Look, I don't know what to think of this, but our basement is locked. Like, it's a bit creepy, but I'd like to know what's inside. I didn't really think much of it until last night."

Lacy slowed her writing, listening closely. "Oh?"

"I heard a woman's scream, but mother tells me it was just a computer I've heard. She begged for help, when I said I could hear her, then nothing."

"You think there's someone mommy dearest is torturing down there?"

"I didn't say that, but she is definitely hiding something, and that I know for sure. With that said," Liby gulped hard for a second. "Help me break in?"

"Break- Really? It's locked for a reason. Not sure if I can invade privacy, not after-" Lacy wrapped up her quick essay. "Alright, I've witten everything here."

Liby made an effort to snatch it but Lacy extend it out of her reach. "Not so fast, you'll read this after school. Not now, not during class, not even as you walk in the halls. Do this when you get home. And then shoot me a text afterwards, alright?"

"Yeah, that's fine with me, Lace," Liby saod quietly.

Lace folded up this sheet as well, slowly handing to the prankster. "Here you go..."

* * *

 **I can't believe I'm writing in this dumb paper. So, I can almost remember it fully. My parents freaked out, and I didn't know why. Someone named Lucy was mentioned, and I wanted answers. This is the same level of fear and alertness that I've never seen from them before. And... I did some snooping and found out about other family members, when believed I had none whatsoever.**

 **But that wasn't all I found. Liby... My mom and dad are... Actually siblings, they're brother and sister. As in... You can fill out the rest. They didn't want Lupa around because she was the same as me, and...**

 **I shouldn't be talking about this at all. It hurts to know I've been lied to all my life, just so they could protect themselves. Do they care about me? I wonder...**

Liby cupped her mouth as a reaction of what may have been pity fot little Lacy. "Oh, God..."

If she thought things were bad, this had just made it worse. Way worse. Liby clicked the reply button on her phone, after going through the sheet a few good times. She had locked herself in the bathroom, breathing heavily.

There was the chance, the possibility she was the same case, if it was confirmed she was Loud blood as well. If so...

"No, no, no!" She ripped the sheet to smithereens in an angry fashion, and then locked into a stare down with the mirror. Not only did she see herself, but also Luan Loud in there as well. "It's not a coincidence, isn't it?"

Lacy's text came inbound after however long she stared; **No, don't mush on me now. I'm coming over, get the crowbars ready.**

At the same time, Liby didn't want to go through with it. It was a 50/50 chance that Lisa may have indeed lied to her, but maybe there was another reason for it. There could've been, but all things pointed to something going on, something Lacy caught miraculously, and maybe the contents of the basement had clues.

What was the real reason Lisa took her in, if not for the plain and simple reason of liking her? Most of them were Loud relatives, even her roommate, by some holy coincidence. Now, she was sure even she was one. And that was really why she was here.

The minute Lacy arrived and stepped foot inside, she was welcomed by a long hug from Liby. "You're not a freak, Lace. You're my friend," she eased.

Lacy sniffed, but wasn't allowed to easily cry, due to the genes passed on from Lynn. "Yeah, yeah. 'Nuff said, let's get on with the breaking and entering."

The two girls surrounded the basement door. "Here it is. Three locks, so how are you-"

Lacy karate kicked the center of the door, making a crack.

"Oh..." Liby gulped silently. "Aw, geez."

Lacy continued to repeatedly kick in the wood out of place until a hole was made. "Told you to get the crowbars ready."

"We don't have some... At least, I think we don't."

"Thank God for my marvelous feet, right?" Lacy laughed victoriously. She disappeared through the hole and turned on the lights. "Let me take a look around, alright?"

"Sounds like a plan, sure." Liby leaned back, staring into the bright hole. Whatever Lacy was going to find would mean either everything ot nothing. If nothing was there, and this was just a legitimate private place, then mounts of grounding punishments would pile all at once exclusively for Liby. She briefly played around with her shirt before Lacy's terrified scream motioned her forward.

"What? What is it?" She had to crouch further than Lacy, which was a disadvantage. She moved her way down in this unfamiliar room. Unlike the regular stairs upside, this set creaked away non-stop. "Lacy?"

She came across a computer setup on her left, which checked out Lisa's story of leaving it on idle and forgetting. There was a group of six white tables mashed in to form a perfect rectangle. Over them, were tools, empty glass containers, and other gadgets Liby was unfamiliar with. "Whoa..."

At the end of the basement, was a curtain that covered up something behind it. Lacy stood in front of it, completely blue to the core. "Oh, my God... Oh, my fucking God..."

"What? Lacy, what's that?" Liby walked up to the curtain. "Lace?"

Lacy simply shook her head, taking a few steps back. "Who the hell-?"

Liby reached her hand out, making contact with the curtain. She pulled it. "Oh, my God..."

The sunlight deprived, scrawny Luan Loud was tied to a stretcher. The bags underneath her eyez were a decayed black. Her skin so coldly pale, she might've been an actual corpse.

"It's her, it's that girl from the videos. It's Luan Loud..." Lacy commented.

Liby touched the bony woman's face, and stroked gently from there. Yes, this was the same girl she found out about in the prank videos. Looking at her in person, Liby found it somewhat of an honor to meet her, but this was just a creepy occasion to do it on.

"She... You look like her..." Lacy uttered from behind. "Even the same hairstyle."

After everything that they have come across, it was clear as daylight. There was no denying it. The coincidences, the evidence, the theories, they led here, all of them, to the same destination.

"M-mom?"


	7. Coldest

_Lisa returned from Rennis after a subtle check-up on Liby and Lupa, wondering if one or both were compatible to be adopted by her. However, the unexpected variable was that the white haired orphan escaped and headed to Royal Woods on her own._

 _Lupa let herself be known, but since everyone knew of Lupa's existence, it wasn't a complete surprise. But no one could have anticipated of dear, sweet Liby; she was the wild card up Lisa's sleeve. That was a bit of a setback, but Lisa was still able to get revenge on Lincoln and Lynn for going behind everyone's back and committing incest. The same act that caused Lucy to take her own life._

 _Mom and dad were never the same after that. In fact, some of them weren't either. Luna berated Luan and cut her away. Lucy wasn't given the exact treatment as hers but the fact that she had the child, evened the hate and disappointment out._

 _It was Lucy who found out about Lynn and Lincoln being a thing a year later after Lupa was left at Rennis. She confided in Lisa, who was sure she'd be the one to tell the others about them, as Lucy couldn't bring herself to. Lisa couldn't blame her, for they'd disregard the claims. But the two kept it a secret, even though that's not what Lucy wanted. It hurt her as well, and it played another factor in her suicide._

 _No one knew about Luan's baby until years later. Lisa had been keeping track of Lupa from a distance, and one day, around when Lupa was around nine, did Lisa come across Liby, who had thrown a frisbee at her in a slight miscalculation. The young Liby had Luan's voice, and was laughing to no end after the impact. And this was a year after she found a mentally unstable Luan wandering around the woods while camping out for a week._

 _Lisa had by then published works, and with the funds she made, it all went to the house that was once Mr. Grouse's, and from there on, she and the sick Luan moved in. Lisa did her best to help, but Luan would always try to break free from what she herself deemed a prison, crying out for the one she called Liby. Lisa didn't know who this Liby was until that day at Rennis._

 _Liby Loud existed, the third girl of incest. That made three so far. Were there more? Are there going to be more? Lisa was here to right a wrong that had been unpaid as of yet. She was going to expose Lacy and her parents for what they were, resulting in ruined reputations and a destroyed family. Furthermore, she would take Liby after it all happened. Luan would be fixed, she hoped. Fixed to see her innocent child._

 _Three killers, three kids, and all the time in the world to act upon it._

She moved down the busted basement door, having a hell of a hard time ducking down with her height, even though she was no taller than Lori's height in their younger years.

Down there was none other than the two girls she'd suspected of having been the ones to have been responsible for this. And, of course, they found the sick, sleeping Luan there on the ass end of the basement. Now, they were sure to have answers. Answers that Lisa knew would hurt them both.

"I made myself clear-" She began.

"Why is she here?! What's wrong with her?!" Liby screamed.

"Remain calm, I can explain-"

"Is... Is this my birth mother?!"

Lisa was stunned. It seemed that these two had already seemed to solve the entire case already. "What do you mean?" She approached Liby slowly, intending to move her away from Luan. "Why do you say that?"

"We know as much as you do now! Tell me, is she my real mother?!" Liby raised her voice loud enough at this point, almost spitting.

Lisa's unresponsive pause answered that for Liby. "I don't understand. Why- Why did she leave me? And... What happened to her? What..." Liby eyed Lacy.

"What?"

"That's it... That's why they kicked her out isn't it?"

Lisa looked on, as it seemingly became clear Liby got closer to the truth.

"You're not the only one, aren't you? You told me Lupa left with her mother, but you said nothing about-"

Lacy coughed, pulling at her collar. "What? What didn't I say?"

"You said mother, not parents. Was there a father?"

Lacy's stuttering helped Lisa see how much Liby knew. Lacy looked past her probable cousin, noticing Lisa shaking her head rapidly. "Liby..."

"You're still keeping things from me, aren't you?"

Lisa gently held onto Liby. "Please go upstairs, both of you..."

"S-She's not dead, is she?" Lacy wondered.

"Upstairs, now!" Lisa boomed.

Lacy scattered like a mouse, racing up behind Liby. "Go, go!" Once Lacy dove out of the hole in the door, Liby pinned her against the wall. "What gives?"

"I told you to be truthful, didn't I? You're holding back on me, I can feel it."

"I told you, it's complicated. It's... I'd have to tell you something that happened all those years ago, before we were born. You don't want to go down this road... I'm still not talking to my parents because of how it all looks."

"Well-" Liby started, before Lisa emerged from the hole.

"You don't need to know the truth, Liby. So, I'm guessing you know everything, don't you, Lacy?"

Lacy nodded, looking around for something that wasn't there. "They had it... They kept it all in a box. Not the truth, but the evidence that showed me they were related, and a couple of more things."

"I see..."

"Could I ask why you called us?"

"Called? Me? Preposterous, I did no such thing."

"No, your voice, I recognized it. I'm sure it was-"

None of them expected Liby's rising courage; she slapped Lisa so hard that her glasses fell out of place. They hit the ground, making a noise in the calm atmosphere. Lacy was surprised, having her mouth open. "What was that all about?"

"Lisa Loud, what don't I know?! I deserve to know why you adopted me! Was it just for Luan, my mother, down there? Is there something else you're doing?!"

"Libster-"

The prankster grew irritated, and grabbing onto Lacy, she slammed her back to the wall. "What happebed?!"

"Lib, you're scaring me!"

"Tell me what happened!"

The fourth figure in the house crawled out of the hole, which looked like something from a zombie movie. "So, you wanna know, huh?" Luan moved so slowly in her weak form that she seemed like she could crumble at any time.

"No- You- How did you get out?!"

Luan revealed a bloody set of teeth. She had munched her way out of her restraints. "It took me quite some time to get out, with all the constant sleepy drugs you've put in me." Luan's eyes wandered back to Liby. "Oh, my dear sweet child... Come to mommy..."

Luan and Liby hugged for the first time in years, a wondrous spectacle for Lacy to smile upon. "Aww..."

"Luan, you need to take your shots," Lisa instructed as she picked up her glasses. "Come on..."

"I hate being down there, you know..."

"It's for your own good. They'd put you into an institution, if not for me. Anyways, take a breather, and don't try anything. You'll roam freely if you accept the verbal agreement."

"Hmmm. And who's this pretty girl?" Luan noticed Lacy simply looking up at her. "Hello there!"

"Hi..."

"That's a friend of Liby's," Lisa answered.

"Funny, she looks just like-" A switch in Luan's system reset her expression. "What... What is your name, little one?"

"Luan, take the damn shots."

"No, what the fuck? I'm better than before, I don't think I need them. Besides-"

"I'm not asking!" Lisa pointed back down the basement. "Go!"

"Wait, she has yet to tell me. All of you, actually." Liby blocked the door. "Quit putting it off. Mom, why? I have to know..."

Lacy coughed, exiting the kitchen. "I'll be in the living room, I suppose," she awkwardly said.

"You know who I am, but you don't know everything? Lise?"

"My intentions were not to expose her to the truth. She and Lucy's girl were both my priorities, but the other one ran away. There's something you need to know, but I'd advise you'd take your shots. Wait here."

Liby moved out of the way, glad with this outcome. It seems everything was finally going to be shared amongst each other. Hopefully, she thought.

"In case you were wondering, I felt I had to give you up..." Luan's eyes started glimmering with fresh tears. "I'm... Sorry..."

Liby grabbed and locked onto both of her mother's hands. "You're here now..." She formed a grin of precious delight that warmed up Luan's own heart with the same content, thus enabling her to smile widely back.

Lisa returned back up with two needles in both hands. "Extend your hand, Luan."

The original prankster did so, letting the insertion of the needles poke into her arm. She still wailed a little, despite having gone through over a thousand needles as of yet. "How many more of these will I take?"

"Until you're back to normal, of course. You're almost there, Luan, just a few more of these, and you'll be better than normal."

"Alright, so what's this thing? What happened in my absence?"

"That girl, she just so happens to be the offspring of Lynn and Lincoln. I came here to fulfill Lucy's wish, and that's to expose them. Neither you, nor Lucy lived like Lynn does with her child. Aren't we all mad?"

Then, Luan stormed out of the kitchen. "WHY, THOSE SNEAKY FUCKERS!"

Luan!"

The rage-driven, bony Luan freaked Lacy out, who tried to escape through the front. "Not again!" Lacy kicked away at her, doing significant damage as she didn't seem to be strong.

"THEY DON'T DESERVE TO BE TOGETHER!" Luan tried to get up with all her might, only for Lisa to pin her down.

"Remain calm, sibling! We'll sort this all out without physical violence!"

"It wasn't supposed to be them! Where are they? Get that girl over here!" Luan's ranting ended with a good old fashioned slap from Lisa. With the help of the liquid meds, Luan was forced asleep once more. "Excuse us, ladies."

Lacy let out a sigh of relief, while Liby was still confused as shit. "What was that all about?"

Lisa lifted her glasses on her head. "Liby..."

 _Lucy and Luan were locked in mom and dad's room with the police officers who were called on the scene for over ten minutes already. The rest of the kids, minus Lincoln and Lynn, assembled to Lori and Leni's room to inform the others, without the traumatic details and description of the horror Luan and Lucy had done._

 _While that happened, Lynn was holding her dear, sobbing brother in her arms. She held him the same he he did with Bun-Bun. "There, there, Lincoln... You're safe, you're safe."_

 _She kissed his forehead while still stroking his soft white hair. There really wasn't much she could say, as she didn't know what words to use to comfort the teen. She continued to act motherly until he drooled onto her, which took forever to get to. She let him sleep on her, not wanting to leave him alone for the night. Not after all of this mad chaos that took place in their basement._

 _He wasn't too heavy, but Lynn felt numb after being underneath for so long. She wrapped herself around him, putting the covers over him._

"Th-th- I'm...-"

"Yes, Liby. It appears so; you, Lacy and Lupa share the same father," Lisa spilled. "You weren't-"

"Hey, let's not go there!" Lacy felt that Lisa had no compunction about saying the very blunt truth. "Libster? Are you okay?"

"Lupa," she merely replied.

"What about her?"

"What was her reaction to finding out about her parents? I know it's true, isn't it? I'm- I mean, we're all children of incest, right?"

"Libster, they fought, kicked her out. She did get answers, like you are now..."

"And?"

"Lupa was so... Broken. She- I felt her hatred against us. We do have the same father, and that killed her. To know she couldn't have what I have. Her mom, the one who wrote that poem, has been dead for years." Lacy's voice was beginning to break. "And I- I was just so disgusted, so truly disgusted that I am also a fucking monstrosity, but she had it worse! I feel so... So guilty. I lived like a perfect princess, loved by two wonderful parents, only to find that it was all based on a fucking dual rape incident! Why? Why do I live? It's just a joke, it has to be. For the love of sin, you love jokes! Fucking-" She ended her vent with a furious scream.

Liby and Lisa retreated to the silence, forced to be Lacy's audience.

""I couldn't believe how they just- Lupa's dead, Liby! She took her own life, and all they did was just pretend nothing happened! They didn't care, and you know what? I've done research on babies like us, and we're freaks. Liby, they see us as freaks. It's a fucking sin to perform incestuous acts!"

"Lace... I didn't know. Lupa... Lupa is...?"

"She's dead, Liby. They killed her with the truth, and I'm still hurt by it all. I don't deserve my life now, after seeing Lupa had it shitty. Maybe you did, too, but..."

"Lupa isn't the only victim they made claim to. They hurt everyone by keeping it hush, lying to their faces. It is unsanitary of the heart."

"I kinda do want them to pay for all of this. But, others would take me away, wouldn't they? I'm powerless... Liby, all three of us share the same father, and-" Lacy found herself unable to keep adding to the truth, which should've been pieced already by the pranskter.

"I had my own agenda, but I guess the three of us can at least expose this to the rest of the family. They'll be seen as angels no more, and you, Lacy, won't have anything that'll be tracked back to you. As far as anyone knows, Liby Loud does not exist, and thus, she is our advantage."

Liby sank into the floor, reeling in the various thoughts, facts, and the opinions even, that had circled around and around her head. It was too much for her, so much that she felt her head could explode at any given second. In fact, she hoped it would. There was more than enough heartbreak and pain tied to the name of the Louds already, so why need more?

She didn't want to be a part of the infinite madness that, up to now, had taken a toll and striped away of her happiness and good life. She felt even less special than since the day she was taken to her new home. In her mind, she became a thing of impurity that needed not be born. Maybe that's how Lupa felt when the white haired girl had been shared of her origination.

"That sounds fine to me," Lacy accepted. The sports girl sat next to Liby, giving her a deep hug. "I'm sorry this isn't what you wanted."

Liby led a much happier, but quieter life in Rennis. Sure, she didn't have anyone to officially label as family, but those close around were ones she considered family, and she didn't have to acknowledge it. No one was able to predict her staring down at her birth mother, who was basically a zombie at this point. No, not any of this in general.

"Why me? Why's this happening to me?" Liby's eyes went red, vision going into blur mode. "M-m-m..."

"Hush, Libster. I know, I know..." Lacy broke free, and gave Liby a easing patting on her head.

"So, what are my tasks? Am I going to take pictures of them kissing? Do you need like a wedding photo for confirmation?"

"Yes, things like that. Video footage, framed pictures, anything that can imply it."

At the start of it, Lisa was planning to take the three down, but now that Lacy had defected against her parents, she was given the spot that was originally for Lupa. Throughout all setbacks and delays in her planning, she knew there wouldn't be more after all this had been figured out. Luan might let herself tolerate Lacy if she was up for being part of the gameplan.

Liby grew to a calm, having been stroked by the caring Lacy enough to withdraw from the hell inside her head.

As for Lacy, she decided to call it a night already. The evening was late already, but Lacy switched her phone off after her text to Liby had been sent. The sunset was almost down, meaning darkness. "I trust you can manage with her," she told Lisa, referring to Luan.

"I surely can. We'll discuss this further once everyone's head is in the game," Lisa replied.

Lacy was already at the entrance when she remembered something. "Wait, you said you weren't the caller?"

"I've mentioned before, little one. I have not dialed you or anyone for that matter."

"Oh..." With the puzzle being completed here and now, it all made sense as it was. It satisfied Lacy to know she beat the game, but until a missing piece had made itself known; the identity of the caller had not turned out to be Lisa, but someone else entirely. "Okay, then."To Lacy, it wasn't just an obstacle to the end, but something more. It seemed like there could very well be another player among them. And that just wasn't cutting it for her.

Then again, Lisa apparently forgot things every now and then, according to her. Maybe Lisa was Lacy's caller, and with that, things made the most of sense.

"See you tomorrow, Lace," the newly formed Liby said.

"See you..." Lacy had her head hanging low, having been struck for worry over Liby and the shithole news delivered to her today. Maybe a good night's sleep would do the trick, not just for Liby, but for them. She was ready to dream it all away, and after swinging the door quickly open, she was about to race back home when an unsettling sight stood inches from her. "Oh, my God!"

Lynn and Lincoln were being crossed. Their faces were red like never before, arms folded tightly and such an infuriating atmosphere gave off so much anger that Lacy could practically feel the heat coming off of it.

Then, they looked behind her to see Lisa, Liby, and the sleeping Luan, which made the two push past their daughter to confront their genius sister.

"You... Have some explaining to do," Lincoln hissed.

* * *

 **AN: Happy Halloween, you boobs! And this wraps the second act to this fic. Originally, I planned this for a five chapter fic at the start of writing it, stopping and ending at was is now chapter four, and Liby was merely a secondary, unrelated character to them, if that direction was stuck to.**

 **So, these three new chapters act as the second part of the story. I had everything setup for a sequel I didn't plan to make, but here we are. Not long ago, this fic came up in a conversation, and I listened in closely as to how this was described as so bad, and that I was a monster for making this.**

 **I know how dark and gritty I can get, but what was noted was the feels that single person went on to describe. I maniacally laughed in pride from making a good job here. I get that some of the things I write, and will write, are such material that takes your breath away, and maybe get some hate and disgust from it. And that's okay, it means it's freaking paying off.**

 **The darkness shall never stop, huehue.**

 **Anyhoooo... This idea, no, I didn't come up with it. This was planned as a duo thing with a great friend of mine, but he brainstormed it himself. Unfortunately, he didn't write it, and I'm not sure if he gave up on it or it slipped or he was busy to make it, so I took over and gave it the Piddyness.**

 **It's all his fault I killed off Lucy and Lupa, so blame him, huehue.**

 **Anyways, now that this second act is done, the third act shall come on Thanksgiving. I've already made some designs fairly quickly, and while you wait, I guess I can tell you;**

 **The identity of the mysterious caller is the center of the third act. That is all. Hooray for cliffhangers, right? Who knows what happens next? Oh, wait. I do. Winky winky.**


	8. Closer Than You Think

**Days Later**

Lacy sat alone, underneath the porch light, with her head resting on her knees. Her arms were extended around them, giving her warmth as she was able to obtain out of it. There was very little to be happy about again. Liby and Lisa Loud were long gone, the latter having been caught with her pants down.

 _Just like they did to Lupa, the prankster was verbally abused and berated by her parents for just existing. The details in the altercation were actually too ugly to describe, but what Lacy could still picture was Lynn tugging Lisa by her ears and screaming so angrily that Lacy wondered if she'd be getting this treatment afterwards._

 _Liby was sprawled on the floor, crying in such a broken manner from her biological father's harsh words. Lacy was then pulled away from her father while Lynn took it upon herself to violently give Lisa a message. As the two were walking out of the house, the sounds of objects crashing and shattering had begun a parade that didn't stop until Lacy was out of range from it._

 _"You are going to tell me what it was they told you. You are in huge trouble, young lady!" He was basically growling it out in such a tone that made Lacy even more queasy. She wanted to say something. "You'd better start talking before your mother confronts you. God knows she's gone ballistic tonight."_

 _Lacy was so worried on what would happen to them that dreadful night. There was no way Lynn could call the cops or anything like that. And that meant-_

 _"Liby!" Lacy gave her dad a nice kick to his testicles, making him squeal womanly. His grip was released from her, letting her run free and back to Liby's._

 _She dashed right through the ajar door, stumbling upon a sea of broken objects, consisting of Lisa's many trophies, pieces of plates and cups, and a couple of holes made by fists on the walls. Liby took cover on the stairs, keeping herself off the floor. Lacy hopscotched her way to Liby. "What happened? Where's my mom?"_

 _"I think you should leave," Liby whispered. "She forced Lisa to help take Luan down the basement. I'm pretty sure they're-" A muffled thudding from below reconsidered what Liby hoped they would be doing. "Nevermind."_

 _"Libster, how? How did they know to come here?"_

How did they know? That was the question of the night. The question Lacy slept on for the consecutive nights after that happened. The very one she was still wondering about right this very second.

 _"I- I don't know! I honestly don't know..."_

 _"He shouted at me. T-they called me a-" Liby had endured a three minute session of tears, and was recovering for more. "They-"_

 _"Hey, hey, don't. Whatever they called you isn't true. You're a person. What's more, you're my friend!"_

 _"...Don't you mean, half-sister?" Even through the situation had escalated out of control, Liby tried to lighten the bad atmosphere smoothly. Lacy giggled a bit and then sighed calmly._

 _"I'm kinda scared. I mean, I know I just kicked my dad to come back here. So I'm even more grounded already, but with you..."_

Her fears truly did come after a few days had passed. She found the house was completely empty, save for a For Sale sign lodged onto the lawn. "Libster..." Lacy uttered with sadness.

It wasn't just that they were related, but Lacy had warmed up comfortably to the girl. Her skills at sports sent the guys packing to maintain distance from her. To them, she was a freaky tomboy, teased at every now and then. She had Lynn's toughness, which helped her ignore their constant insults and teasing. The only nice guy was wheelchair bound. Apart from that, Lacy hadn't a girl around to call friend, either. It was the same case with the guys, but that's where she felt a little out of place.

Most of her life living in a perfect life, actually pretentious underneath, had her feeling empty like never before, moreso now that her only relatives were gone. Lupa was dead, and there was no seeing her again. Wherever Lisa took Liby and Luan, Lacy hoped it wasn't too far away. It slipped for awhile that she still had Liby's number, gone usnspected by the parents. Sure, they could have simply done that to give each other updates, but maybe it was still too soon to call for a text session. It was over already. No carrying out a plan of family retribution.

 _A fuming Lynn strolled back into the living room, unleashing heavier footsteps when coming out. "Lacy! Where is your father?! Why aren't you heading home yet?!"_

 _"Mom, no one was doing anything-"_

 _"QUIET, YOU! I DON'T WANNA HEAR ANOTHER WORD! GET GOING, LACY, OR I'LL DRAG YOU OUT MYSELF!"_

 _Liby encouraged Lacy to leave with a gentle touch. "Go on, I'll be fine. At least I know everything, huh?"_

 _Lacy gulped at the thought of her mom going off on the helpless Liby for hours. She kept her eyes on both of them, and Lynn's silence, along with her own eyes on Lacy, had begun to make it feel this was the case. "She didn't do anything. She's harmless, mom..."_

 _Lynn's face had never been red to this extent. She was huffing with an infinite amount of rage, looking like she could actually lose control. "Lacy!"_

 _Liby nodded at the girl, trusting her that she'd be okay. That they'd all be. Even Luan, who seemed unstable enough to be placed into an institution. Knowing she was Liby's mother was weird for Lace. The change was drastic; the once happy prankster from the videos had been reduced to a zombie for God knows how long._

 _It was over. This time, actually. No more surprises in store, really. She had known the truth already; two of her aunts raped her father, resulting in Liby and Lupa. Then, she came along once her parents found their way to each other somehow. That part, she didn't want to know. The very thought of them being together was still striking her as just an insult to Lucy and Luan. Like she originally believed, it was hypocritical of them._

Today was Lincoln's day off, and the house had been once again quiet. All of her homework was completed by herself, with the assistance of no one. Again.

She had finally gone noticed, when he showed up beside her. "Hey, Lacer-beam!" That was the nickname, which was cheesy to Lynn, given to her by Lincoln when she was able to run. And boy, was she fast. The name died two years ago, when Lacy suggested she grew too old for the nickname. "I haven't heard that in a long while..."

"Yeah, but you'll always be my little Lacer-beam."

She wretched on the inside when he used his fatherly words of cuteness on her. "I'm twelve, dad." She was met with an arm of his that wrapped around her shoulders and was leaned into his own.

"I know that, Lace. We don't lose track, you know?" He looked upon the stars above, growing silent in the steady night. "You know, that was a heck of a kick you performed on me."

She scoffed, not showing any sign of remorse. If she was one year older, she'd have been calling this a victory, once having been exposed to sex ed classes. "Was it?"

"Yeah, unfortunately. Why are you out here alone?"

Oh! Lacy didn't know what exactly to tell him, if she were to get out her feelings right there and then. "I was just..." She tried to think of a white lie, not wanting to speak her mind, at the very least, not with them. There was no one else to turn to, except the ones who were gone. And that was the flaw of it. "It's hot inside...?"

"We have an air conditioner, silly!" He chuckled lightly, but Lacy didn't find it amusing. "It's getting late, you should probably go to bed. You can leave the window open, if you need to."

"Yeah, dad..."

"Love you, kiddo," he nudged, before heading back inside. Yes, something was off with her, and he felt it. There were many variables that played into the probable why she wasn't really herself, like being upset at them for all of the mess they hoped wouldn't come back. This, plus being forced to lose someone she called a friend.

 _"First Lupa, now Liby? This isn't... This isn't right!" She was shouting here and there, going on about how her two half-sisters were the victims as well. "You both should be giving me the same treatment!"_

 _"Lacy, sweetheart, it's- It's not like that. You don't look at it the way we do." He wanted to explain himself, and what they thought in the matter, but Lacy ordered him out of her room. She slammed the door in his face, and with that, they distanced themselves further. The three of the, actually._

He didn't exactly know how to fix that estrangement, for he didn't specifically know her thoughts. It was all simplified, and yet, it was all complicated. His fatherly love was there to help guide him and pull Lacy back. There really was nothing wrong around her. She knew they loved her, so why was she in a defiance mode?

 _Lynn came home, still red-faced. Of course, things weren't too bad afterwards. Lincoln was applying as ice pack to his testicles the time she arrived. "Guess what Lisa tried- What happened to you?"_

 _"I'd be embarrassed to tell you," he laughed. "What'd you get outta Lisa?"_

 _"That evil genius was basically recruiting the two to expose us to the others. And I'm appalled this was happening right next to our parents! I've never had a close call like this, Linc! Well, now we know where Luan is. Lisa also told me she was keeping her alive but..."_

 _"She really didn't look alive to me... It's been years since I've-"_

 _"It's been years since we've seen the others, Linc. Let's keep it that way." She pecked his lips gently, rubbing her hands on the back of his head. "We should head up now, honey. That wound isn't gonna heal itself."_ _She helped him up, guiding him back to their bedroom. In between their relationship, did Lincoln feel more of the feminine one of the two. Bother that Lynn to have great lengths of strength._

 _"It's not-" He sighed, slipping away the icepack. "It's not as bad as the damn copy machine that new guy placed on his desk carelessly. That little mishap caused-" He grew annoyed by that minor incident that called for him to take a pair of days off to heal. "Haven't seen him since."_

 _"You poor baby," Lynn giggled teasingly. "It wasn't so bad. I had you all to myself more than we'd usually get." She winked seductively, which added to Lincoln's arousal on his part._

 _"Lacy's in bed, by the way. You gonna use your signature charms on her?"_

 _"Ugh, my throat's starting to hurt from screaming at Lisa. I think I'm done for the night. I'll have a talk with her soon."_

 _"So, uh, what's gonna happen?"_

 _"They are leaving. I gave her some incentive to get the hell outta dodge immediately. Jesus, Linc, I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for them to all just show up out of the blue..."_

 _"I know, but we have this under control now. Whatever hell Lisa sounded like she was going to unleash, we caught it in time. But wait..."_

Lincoln was halfway up when he remembered the answer she gave him.

 _"How'd you know to find her there?" That was the question that made her stop dead in her tracks, for some unknown reason._

 _"I was... Don't get mad, but-" Of course, Lynn gave out a sigh that he didn't like at all._

 _"Lynn?"_

 _She looked worried when they met each other's glaze. "I was coming to see mom and dad... I wanted to drop by, Linc. I knew how risky it was. I saw Lacy entering inside Mr. Grouse's old place."_

Back when Lupa broke into their house, which is how he looked at it, Lincoln had completely lost his shit, equivalent to how Lynn was going off on Lupa. Maybe they had gone a bit overboard, but their views didn't change; the two other half-sisters weren't made with love, from love. No, they weren't planned to be born, but to tell them would be...

Yet, Lacy had seen them give Lupa such an atrocious welcoming, as they knew instantly who Liby was just by looking at her, but this time, Lincoln refrained from harsh, verbal abuse. Lynn did most of the work this time, caring more to protect her family and reputation than to hear the feelings and focus on the well-being of her own daughter. Lynn Loud, everyone!

Maybe in due time, with proper explanation, she'd see things their way, and then the apologies would be in order. Unlike with Lupa, there was clearly some form of friendship Lincoln picked up on by the sound of things. Maybe the Luan daughter wasn't to be tortured at. And maybe, just maybe, neither was Lupa.

He laid on their nice queen-sized bed, drifting off into sleep as he listened in for a faint door being closed, that let him know Lacy had returned back inside. It didn't happen, but he was sure she would have nonetheless.

Lacy was getting cold enough that she thought it wise to not catch hypothermia. Her phone buzzed with a phone call, and for a brief second, she wondered if it was none other that dear, funny Liby. But it wasn't...

"Hello?"

 _"Lacy Loud..."_ The voice attached to the blocked number was the same one that called during the Lupa ordeal. _"It seems like Lisa is out of the picture, is that right?"_

"H-how do you know that? Who are you?"

 _"Let's just say, Lisa and I wanted the same thing. Of course, I'd have hoped she would have succeeded in revealing everything to the entire family tree. So... I have to be the one to step in, don't I?"_

"Wait, you want to... You know, expose my parents?"

 _"Well, I have a very specific goal here, it's a little different that what Lisa had planned, but it's the same idea. And all you have to do is help me, of course."_

Lacy was sure she wanted to go through with this days ago, but now that everything had been brought to a calm, she wasn't sure what she wanted. There was little over a week left of going without entertainment. She was worried her phone would be confiscated, but Lincoln had called it an unnecessary move to take it away.

Regardless, she didn't want to get further in trouble with her folks, even though she was still angry at them. Lynn's cold scolding wasn't something she wanted to fully see. Lacy was lucky she didn't get front row seats for the show.

Helping this mysterious woman- Where would it put Lacy? What kinda further punishment could she expect if she was still down with exposing? "No... I don't know. I mean..."

All the time she had to herself had done its work in making her see some sense of things. Yes, she was reluctant when she was recruited for Lisa's vile doings. Of course, Lacy would not be seen as the monster of two parents with terrible secrets. No, she didn't need that trouble to her name, and it was there that she figured they didn't want anything like that after that day. Yes, she was comprehending it slowly, and was still in the process of doing so, for she still had resentment towards her parents for everything.

Yes, she remembered they loved each other, as much as they did her. They were a happy family of three, with no real conflicts other than their usual work-related fiascos they'd face every often. And they could still be again.

 _"Oh, but I thought you were angry, were you not? All your relatives have been pushed away. Lupa's dead, for Christ's sakes. Don't tell me you don't want justice for that?"_

"Justice, you say?" It seemed reasonable, when the right words were played out for the same sale. Justice for Lupa, justice for Lucy. But... She heard them say it; they didn't intend to make Lucy kill herself, but they certainly went all out on Lupa. Maybe... Just maybe... They actually didn't know... They didn't know what the suicide-driven girls would have done. "I- I don't think I will..."

 _"Consider your next words wisely..."_ Now that sounded like something of a threat. Lacy didn't know how exactly to respond now.

"W-why is that?" She forced out, trying to hide the obvious tone of fear in her voice.

 _"You look like you're getting cold..."_

"H-how-?" Lacy shivered further, freaked out to the point she took a look around the street across. Among several parked cars on the opposite street, stood a shadow just barely visible from the streetlights that revealed it. "Hey!"

She wasn't too afraid to run back inside, courtesy of Lynn. The caller, finally live in person right before her. _"Now, what will it be?"_

"What if I say no?"

 _"Then, I cannot guarantee that you'll be kept out of harm's way. I would have made sure none of the others would find out about you, but if they did so, I'd not point to you as an abomination. Like the other two, I believe you're a victim as well. I need you, and I think you need me, but you don't know that yet."_

"I... I don't know you, lady."

 _"No, not yet. But you will, oh yeah. You will."_ They hung up, and the shadow across waved once before strolling away quickly.

Lacy stood watching the shadow until it left out of view. The caller sounded strictly serious about all this, and the anger Lacy sensed was not missed at all. It happened so fast that she didn't have time to really think. To think about why what the caller did, did. It was exactly a Lisa case all over again, but faster. The rebound that called for Lacy to help, again.

 **Elsewhere**

"Lisa... Aunt Lisa..." The motel room was slightly more larger than her old room at Rennis, but smaller than the one back in the last house. A pair of twin beds, an old pre-2000s television set, and a table that held a blue lamp and Lisa's glasses, standing in between the beds, were decorating the dull, tan-yellow room. Apart from that, only a red luggage bag filled with their clothes was taken when they left, or rather, were forced out of their house. Everything that remained wasn't retrieved as of yet.

"Hmm?" The genius was taking up the bed closer to the door, turned over away from the girl she was now stuck with. "Yes?"

"Where are we going to go?" Liby had complete trust in Lisa until they came here. That's when Lisa began to feel helpless, powerless. Now that she'd been found out, and with the addition of Liby's existence being known to Lynn and Lincoln, all the planning and surprises. No reason to keep the annoying second generation prankster anymore.

"Look, Liby, there really isn't much of a personal life I lead. I've only been on vacation, which I've used the time to do all this. I'm due to return to my company, and..." Even if she decided to eye her, Lisa could not be emotionally penetrated. "Well, there is no room for you-"

"A-are you..." Liby stood up from her bedside, piecing together what it was Lisa implied. "N-no, you- You can't! You picked me! You- You brought me to my mother, and we've been..."

"We failed to accomplish what I've planned for awhile. That's why I placed Luan, err, your mother, unfer the care of the correct mental institution."

"Wh- I- No, you said you wanted to help her? Where's this all coming from? My mom, Lupa, and the others... Why are you backing out? Lisa!" Liby couldn't find herself to easily cry again. There was some clear wave of anger that locked onto her, once the agenda seemed to go down the gutter. Liby was more into the plan than Lisa; she was craving something she didn't know she had, and these bursting feelings were not spawned for herself.

Yes, she lived a good thirteen years at Rennis, but there was still a hole of discontent of never knowing the questions she never truly pondered, not to the degree Lupa Loud had. Luan Loud, who was she to Liby? The villain or a victim? No way she was both now. Sure, Lucy and Luan had raped the boy who would become a father of three, but the roles... They were switched quickly after. At least, that's what it looked like to everyone except for Lynn and Lincoln.

"Why? Then... Are you going to-"

"I'm returning you to Rennis, then I'll be on my way back. Forgive me for-"

"I can't believe you! It's just as if you were using me! I thought you cared about..." Liby trailed off, sitting back down and lowering her head. "You used me... You don't see me as one of..." She sighed, unclear of what to think in the matter. As instructed by Lisa, the prankster was not allowed to contact Lacy, which was the only rule she truly wanted to break.

"It's not like that, my young niece. I don't have the time to babysit you if I were to keep you around. I am a very busy woman. It's good timing on my part than I've had you and Lupa on my watch list."

"Lupa... On your- Pfft, yeah. You didn't care about us, otherwise you would've taken her, too. It's... It's bad enough you didn't act sooner, or- Or she'd still be alive!"

"A minor setback! Yes, I admit it, but under the circumstances, I had no use for her! And furthermore-"

"She didn't have to be, aunt Lisa! She didn't want to be there all her life! You didn't know her, not the way I did... And we rarely spoke to each other. I never imagined I'd find out we would be blood related. You could have saved her, you know?" Liby got up again and proceeded to the window. "She'd be here with us, and... I would've taken her being angry about all of this over her being gone from-"

"Cease this nonsense! I did not expect for the poem to have been there! It was the miscalculation in my design, yes. If I had foreseen any of this, I would've taken you both! I'm sorry it wasn't like that! I'm... Sorry I..."

The two let each other have this moment once the moment of silence was realized, needed, as Lisa was finding the right words; a rarity in her case, as she had never been one to be lost to say something. "Please... Please don't put me back there..."

"You had... You have nothing to worry about back there, okay? You're done, Liby. Forget this, forget-"

Her only family member who remained, and the one who didn't seem to despise her existence, the very one who welcomed her in a pretentious act, wanting to dispose of her as if she was an object worth recycling. Where was the humanity?

"How can I forget?! You-" Liby knocked the ugly lamp out of place, going unplugged from the outlet. "You can't do this! You owe it to me! You owe it to Lupa! You piece of-"

Lisa jumped out of bed, shaken up by the instant shattering of the window. A hand-sized rock rolled its way across the floor. "What the-?!"

"Ugh, juvenile delinquents!" Lisa slipped on her shoes and barged outside. The two were confined to a room on the second floor. Lisa looked over the wooden barriers, seeing no one visible around the rectangular parking lot. "Hmph! They must've run. Darn these kids of today." Right beneath her, a pair of footsteps sounded off. _Eureka!_ Lisa wasted no time running towards the staircase. "You kids are gonna-"

The mysterious caller, dressed in a completely black attire, was there, baiting out Lisa. The hood was concealing her identity. "Oops, you caught me!" She playfully said, lunging at the genius.

Liby made no sudden move to approach the door left open by her not-so-caring aunt. She was relieved that she didn't get further damage, once remembering how Lacy's strength fared against her head. The final pieces of broken glass came loose from the cracks. Liby was only a tad scared, not used to seeing real property damage or vandalism. "Lisa?"

There was a chilly, uncomfortable breeze that made her want to retreat underneath her nice, cozy covers of the shitty motel. Even then, she'd only get scared from the darkness that was separated from her.

"Libyyyy..." The eerie voice reaching out for the young prankster, but was only actually succeeding in doing the opposite. "I mean you no intentional harm." Liby, on the other hand, hid behind her bed, quaking visibly as the shadow pf the assailant made its presence in the light outside the room, followed by the new player in the field. "You know I can see you, right?"

"Where's Lisa?"

"She's taking a nap. Forced, of course. Anyways... You've not lost here. You don't have to go back there, not if you do something for me."

"W-wha-?"

"I think I'll need your trust, won't I? I'll take this off, nice and slow..." She raised her hands to her hood, which was still in place. "You don't know me, but I know your parents, and the entire family, for that matter. You see, everyone was focused on the "what's", that they didn't bother asking the real question."

"Real- What are you talking about? What'd you do to Lisa?!"

The figure nodded their head, irritated by Liby who was humanely more concerned about Lisa than listening on the words. Bless her pure little heart. "She's sleeping, trust me. But when she wakes, you'll be long gone, I hope."

"Gone where? What do you want with me?" Liby rose from the bedside, not feeling any surfacing hostile intentions from this mystery figure.

At long last, she removed her hood, revealing her face. "My name is Ronnie Anne Santiago, and I know what others do not. I'm the only one who knows the full truth, now..." She held out her hand to take Liby away, confident in her agenda that needed secondary assistance. Which meant Liby or Lacy. Hell, maybe both of them. In fact... "I know you think highly of Lacy, and vice versa. You can stay around, as I'll take you in and you two can keep your friendship going behind their backs. All you have to do..."

Liby was being bought by the sound of things.

"...Is convince Lacy to help us, once and for all." And with that, Ronnie Anne smiled with cruel intent, finally getting the revenge she had longed for since the dual rape incident.


	9. Sinner Circle

_She lost him, and she didn't remember it. The many beer bottles of Corona transformed a perfectly loyal girlfriend of over five years and turned her into a one-night-only little slutbag of fun. How many guys were there at the party was unknown exactly, but the few girls who were there had said it was maybe up to twenty. Twenty or so who had done their way with her._

 _She woke up, bloody down there and with the covers smeared enough, she was frantically crying while her breath was smelling of a stench that was mixed with the beer and something else that reeked her mouth completely. What went on in this room was clearly of a shitshow level of disaster._

 _Embarrassed, humiliated, and worst of all, she was disgraced by her mother for such a thing. Whatever Bobby's expression and thoughts of this madness was, Ronnie Anne was only a little relieved she didn't have to face him like that. Not even a week went by when the teenage Lincoln Loud had found out the hard way through a video that was leaked, and texted to him from some unknowns._

 _The break-up didn't even happen directly. All he did was simply tell her to leave him alone. She, in turn, spammed him like crazy, and was crying hard onto her pillows on those nights for awhile. Right up until she formulated the plan to win him back. And to do that, there might've been a situation where he needed rescue. A situation that called for Ronnie Anne to save him and win him back. But how?_

 _And then, boom! She studied his remaining sisters. Luan was set to leave to Royal Woods College next. Ronnie Anne's window of opportunity was soon closing. Choosing wisely, she only picked the clown princess of jokes, th_ _e perfect candidate for her maniacal goal. She believed Luan to be a secretly crazy enough sister to actually have the notion to carry out incestuous rape. The years she had known Lincoln's sisters, Luan was the one who struck Ronnie Anne as the off one, and was just a matter of time before she snapped and laughed forever. The hard part was to plant the idea. Push the paper boat to sail._

 _Ronnie Anne had blackmailed Luan's crush into slipping quickly into a relationship with her, and from there, moving quickly to pull the strings, exposed Luan to sinful, immoral acts._

 _"It was... It felt so good the first time, you know?" Ronnie Anne had to endured pretending to be a friend for Luan. Oh, God. The jokes, the horrible jokes. They still kept gping on and on. It was a miracle Ronnie Anne was able to fight off the temptation to leave her a human pretzel. The same was with Lucy and her brooding nature._

 _"Yeah, I... I had my first time with your brother, and it was... I don't know, magical?" She didn't want to gp into heavy detail, but to her, it was something not just magical. That lonely night when they slept together, it was almost the same type of romantic love night she'd see in Spanish novellas. Only, it was weird doing it, being part of it and such. "I get you, but it felt... Awkward, too..."_

 _The two had been coming back to the Loud house, having gone through an evening's steady stroll for a few blocks down. "Anyways, I gotta get going. I'll see you around, Ronnie Anne."_

 _It worked well in the end. The prankster was craving some good log inside of her again. Her boyfriend was working that night, so she decided to approach someone a whole lot closer. It couldn't hurt, right? Especially now that Ronnie Anne and him had split up. Maybe getting some was what Lincoln needed to get out of his head. Actually, now that Luan was thinking about it..._

 _"He's still sleeping! Come on, we don't have long!" Luan and the moody, broody goth teenager were carrying him away from his bed. Lucy didn't bat an eye once Luan explained her reasons, which made Luan feel much safe and comfortable in going through with forcing herself onto him. "I think you need this, Luce. I don't really like seeing you all dead and whatever it is goths think."_

 _"Sigh," the goth's emotionless reply wailed. They traveled with the sleeping brother downstairs to the basement._

 _While this was happening, Ronnie Anne was doing some recon, hoping that Luan would act already. She set the ladder up and aligned it to the small window where Lincoln was still living in, despite having the option to move out of it. She peeked in, seeing the room having been opened. The love of her life was gone, probably dragged already by Luan to wake up for some-_

 _"Hey, you there!" Mr. Grouse, who had heard the smacking of the ladder into the house, was waving a fist, shaking it away at Ronnie Anne. "You thieving hoodlum, I'm calling the police!" He then disappeared from the open window._

 _"Wait, wait, I'm-" There was no accounting for such a delay, in which could mean that she would fail indefinitely. Ronnie Anne was not gonna be able to force herself though this little shithole of a window, so she scattered right back down and ran for the backdoor entrance. "Rats!" The damn thing was locked, so she tried the front, and was basically getting annoyed with the situation. "Dang it!" Of course it had to be locked. "There must be a key..."_

 _The welcome mat could have had one, but it didn't at all. Ronnie Anne tried to force it open with the strength of her shoulders, but didn't go far once sirens wailed in the distance, filling up the emptiness the streets had been presenting while she was dug in, patiently awaiting for Luan to help move the chess piece._

 _"No, not now!" That darn old man had actually done it. There was no time to get inside and stop it. "Chinga su-" All she had to do was break through and stop Luan. But the window in between this and that was too tiny to make time for. Before she knew, and got mad about it, she was running away from the house, hoping that tomorrow would see to it that she'd be there for Lincoln. Yes, she'd gain back his love, his heart, and the bridge of broken trust would be mended. She won. She won. And that was all she cared about, despite doing some real fucked up shit, which in her case, had never happened, for she didn't tell Luan to rape her own brother._

 _At least, that's what she thought would happen. Sporty teenager Lynn Loud cut in front of that particular line. Why hell, she was beaten at her own game? And what fun it was, knowing it was the girl who liked to win. The girl who liked to compete here and there with rivals of all sorts. The girl who was given Ronnie Anne's happy ending._

"Go on, text her..." Ronnie Anne was now in charge of the operation that Lisa had scrapped originally. "Convince her."

Liby was still scared and uncomfortable being around the as-of-yet stranger, whom gave off auras of infinite rage. Liby was wondering what to tell Lacy, if she could ever, about what was going down again. No, this woman, this old friend of the family as she described herself to be, hadn't harmed the freaked out girl. Not yet at least. Liby was tempted to ask, but was stuttering along their way back to wherever it was she was going. Surely, Ronnie Anne had reasons for wanting to destroy Lacy's family, in which the consequences were blindly unknown. There was no telling what was likely to happen, with all things being considered.

"What do you mean? She wanted this, too..." The way Ronnie Anne said it- Did she meet up with Lacy already. Then... "It was you, wasn't it? You're the one who called them, isn't that right?" Things were clearing themselves up already, but slowly. "Lace said it sounded like Lisa or something? How?"

"I used the right tools for that. Know a guy, good with technology. What else are you curious about?"

"Oh, uh, you've thought of everything, huh?" Ronnie Anne was definitely one step forward than Lisa, and yet had to reassemble the new pawns back in place. Just one more now.

"Yes, I have. I've also been watching all of you for most of the time. I know about Lupa, and... Well, I'm sorry she died. I'm not sure if you had some bond at Rennis, but..."

"I know she was my half-sister, and I only wished I got to know her more. Back there, she was this feisty girl, but I've always felt that something was bothering her, for so long. I guess I've always known what it was, but I didn't see it until she was gone..." Her hands had gone steady now, being relaxed back to its calm state.

 _Liby was playing frisbee with one of the kids in a nice afternoon at the orphanage. It was then that the younger boy she was playing with had thrown the frisbee hard that it flew over her, and hit the concrete wall of the rectangular building. Lupa, who was sitting down against the wall, was almost hit by the darn thing, but didn't notice until it made its impact right above her._

 _"Hey!" Lupa bobbed her body to the side, acting like the toy was an infected object. "Be more freaking careful!"_

 _Liby laughed a bit, mentally calling it a close call. "Sorry!" She waved a hand and ran to the white-haired girl she had seen often but never had really talked to. This was the first time they had exchanged words in both of their lives. "We didn't see you there."_

 _Lupa snatched the frisbee, tempted to break it. "It's cause of my white hair, isn't it? Well, fuck you too."_

 _"What, no, it's not like-"_

 _Of course, the blunt Lupa scoffed at the innocent Liby. "Excuses, excuses..." She tossed back the frisbee at Liby's feet, placing the hood of her black sweater over her head. "Go play elsewhere and leave me be."_

 _Liby just looked on, eyes locked on the cold-hearted girl. "Would, uh, you like to play with us?"_

 _The white-haired girl just took a glance around, as if she was scouting around. Maybe that was what she was actually doing, but it was unclear to Liby. "Play with you, huh? Why?"_

 _"You look... Lonely," Liby replied. Lupa just sighed simply, looking away from Liby. "What, uh, what's your name?"_

 _"Would you please just..." Lupa clearly had no intention to be social, but wasn't also eager to be rude. Hell, she didn't want to be rude directly, despite having the saltiest personality around the area. "If I tell you, would you leave me alone?"_

 _Liby smiled, holding a hand up in the air, and the other to her chest. "I shall!"_

 _"Fine, it's..." She didn't want to share even the basic of facts and info about herself to some simple-minded stranger, but she didn't want to be bothered as well. Where was the harm in that, right? "It's Lupa." Apart from that, her name wasn't exactly the most common of names. She didn't fancy it too much, but rarely showed the signs of discontent whenever anyone, rarely that is, would call her for whatever reason._

 _Liby slowly nodded once Lupa shared her name._

 _"Well?" Lupa asked, confusing Liby._

 _"Well what?" Was Liby supposed to add something to it? Or was there something Lupa wanted to hear that Liby wasn't at all understanding. Lupa was squinting at the young prankster, looking into each of her eyes quickly. "Uhhh..."_

 _"Aren't you gonna make fun of the name? Go on, get your laugh..." She was still looking away, for her darker nature allowed her to be._

 _"What, no, I- I'm not gonna poke fun. Why would I?" Liby walked over the frisbee, taking the spot beside Lupa. "Do others make fun of your name?"_

 _Lupa remained silent, side of her head concealed by her hoodie._

 _"Well, I wouldn't do such a thing. I'd never hurt someone's feelings. Lupa, come on, play with us." Liby held out her hand, building another confident smile. "What've you got to lose?"_

Ronnie Anne was intrigued by the close-distant bond the two had developed back at Rennis. "Okay, I'll bite. How... Feisty was she?"

"Well..."

 _Liby was among the crowd of on-lookers, gathered around when Lupa was being hauled off by three of the older kids from her room, angrily screaming to her roommate who had received a fractured bone. Liby lightly gasped, horrified by what Lupa had done out of spite._

"You'd have to see it to believe it," Liby said.

"Sounds like a real friend," Ronnie Anne joked.

"That's how I became her new roommate. And from there, all this happened." Liby opened the car window a bit, letting the cold air flow into her face. "I didn't mind her attitude, not like the others did. I felt, I don't know, ummm... Sad for her, I would say? I'd only have been her roommate for less than a week, and then she left."

"Hmmm, I see..." Ronnie Anne finally pulled up to a driveway, only putting the old purple van set to park. "So, you've texted her, right?"

Liby nodded slowly, showing Ronnie Anne her phone;

 **Hey Lacy, knock knock? Who's there? I am, of course! I'm gonna need your help...**

"Good girl. I hope you like pizza, I'll order in." The two girls got out of the van and proceeded inside the Santiago residence.

"Why is it important to you? Not to be rude, or anything, but how are you involved with all this?"

Ronnie Anne laughed a bit, finding the confrontational part of Liby cute and entertaining. "Wouldn't you like to know? Alright, I'll flatter you. But first, I need any evidence that implies what they've done. And after, I'll tell you two what no one knows, except me. That's my price. Deal?"

Nothing was certain in Liby's eyes. Ronnie Anne, someone who wasn't even in her life for an hour, and was here spewing out that she could keep Liby, if that was what she implied, and help keep this friendship she developed with a family member who wasn't dead. Family. She wanted family, but not like Luan, her mentally ill mother who was clearly given some sort of drug to keep her stabilized. That didn't qualify at all. And surely not Lisa anymore. Lisa Loud, the aunt Liby believed cared for her, but it wasn't like that. And Liby was hurt by it, and it would be something she wouldn't forget anytime soon. Eveything could have changed. Everything could have been better. But it wasn't meant to be. Then... What was?

"Yeah, okay. I trust you." But she didn't completely, still sensing that same tension Ronnie Anne seemed to give off. As for Lisa, who knows what she did to the heartless aunt. Liby wanted to say Lisa deserved it, but even then, it didn't seem even humane to even think of such things. She was never one to think or say anything that could be interpreted as hostile or rude. Tonight was different, however. Liby had been pushed into a wall, feeble, helpless, and the most of all, hurt. The past few dtas were nothing but heartbreaking amounts of pain to her.

Nothing of the sort had ever happened at Rennis, and probably wouldn't if she were to return. A sick mother, an uncaring aunt, a couple of dead relatives, and two members of her family tree who were hiding their most darkest, sinful secret away from the ones who remained. Liby hoped that Lacy had not gotten in huge trouble, if she had talked.

Liby took up a room that once belonged to Bobby Santiago, the older brother of the mysterious caller. "This place smells..."

"No one's slept here in years. I'll get you new sheets if you'd like."

Liby sat on the bed, playing the first bunch of words Ronnie Anne uttered when she made her presence known back at the motel. "What will you get out of this? " Liby crossed her arms, expecting the only answer worth hearing. "Well?"

Jeez, kids today had no chill! Ronnie Anne was kicking herself at how direct Liby was. Telling the girl about what she had wanted to gain would mean to also tell her about the past, which could not all be even spoken of. "It's the same thing Lisa wanted," Ronnie Anne tried. "I've known them for a long time, and what Lynn and Lincoln did..."

Mentioning the names, she grew uncomfortable and more visibly angry. It was supposed to be her victory. It was supposed to be her, married with Lincoln, settled with Lincoln and fated to have his child. She was disgusted so much by Lynn taking her place that Lacy was not given a safe spot in her eyes. Taken. The love of her life was taken from her, and by the sister who had feelings for him way deep in their childhoods.

 _Bobby and Ronnie Anne were over at the Loud house so that Lynn could apologize to the Mexican loli for brutally beating them up. It was because Ronnie Anne was holding a warning card over Lynn, advising her to not make any moves on her brother when it was discovered Lynn was attracted to the latter's crush for some unknown, perverted reason._

 _"Oh. Lynn, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I didn't see it at first, but I began to feel, see that you believed it was wrong. And, ha. I won't lie. That was a hell of a punch. And a kick." Ronnie Anne was still in slight pain since Lynn went berserk on her._

 _"I'm still worried I'll slip. Lose control. What... What's wrong with me?" It was clear to Ronnie Anne that Lynn was feeling guilty about having these uncommon feelings for a sibling. "He makes me feel special. He's done more than enough..."_

 _Ronnie Anne literally tried to slap some sense into her._ _"Get it together, mujer!_ _You know you're going to have to tell. You want to really be at peace? You tell them. And hope they won't see you differently. I'll be happy to stand by you." Ronnie Anne jerked her arm. "I don't wanna keep it. Forget what I said. I thought about it, and I didn't plan to tell, not just for your sakes. I have my reasons. But, you... Lynn, its eating you alive. You need help."_

 _The whole thing was doing its number on Lynn. Nothing needed to come out, otherwise... How would they see Lynn? And how... Just how hurt would she be if Lincoln saw her as the family's abomination._

 _"I'm fine, Santiago. Everything's getting better now." Words were words. Ronnie Anne had yet to see it, though. She laid a hand on Lynn, which proved to be a mistake. She was met with an elbow strike hard. "You can't... You don't tell me what I need. I know what I need," Lynn coldly stated, before grabbing the loli by her sweater. "And I don't need you."_

It was irony at its finest. She wanted to help Lynn with her little problem, and that wasn't just to ensure she wouldn't lose Lincoln, but because, even then, even as Lynn was dealing with incestuous feelings, she was still a person. And this bond was not something that needed to be broken.

But that was lifetime ago. Now, the rules have changed, and all that mattered before, no longer had any value in the new world today. "Anyways, question time is over. Catch some sleep, we'll setup tomorrow. And you don't have to worry about Lisa anymore, that I can promise."

Ronnie Anne left the room to retrieve the new set of covers while Liby was still sitting in place, tapping her phone while still unsure of all this.

 **The Day Before Thanksgiving**

Lynn and Lincoln were off to work that evening, which was the perfect time for Lacy to retrieve the damn wedding photos from her parents' bedroom.

Liby had already filled her in on the current situation, where she and the caller were down with going forward to finally make Lacy's parents be seen as the monsters of the family tree. Lacy, still reluctant as she was before, kept crossing the line of going through with it, and not at all.

The confusion was getting to her so much that she considered breaking her phone after the end of the conversation. Like before, she wanted to hate them, to berate her family for all that they've done. Lacy held them onto it, but she didn't spite them as much anymore. No, they loved her as much as they did each other. That was something that she had always missed up until the recent days.

No, no one had to be hostile at all. Not to their own blood. And yet...

She kicked the locked door of the bedroom, which had started to become locked on a regular basis after she first found out their true relationship. Her strong legs proved to be the superior against the door.

Liby, by herself, was sent by the Mexican woman to retrieve the photos, as she had apparently a task she had to do as soon as possible. Liby was dropped off immediately at Lacy's, and sped off down the street. Liby didn't care whatever Ronnie Anne had going on, for it wasn't her business. Right now, the falling of a kingdom was in the process.

Lacy left the door open just for her, and was expecting her at any time. "Lace? I'm here!" No Lynn or Lincoln to come home soon enough, which was relieving to know. How much more screaming was Liby able to take?

"Yeah, I'm here!" Lacy made her way to the living room, holding three photos in her hand. "This is it, isn't it? So, what, you and... Whatever her name is, you a duo team?"

"Not exactly. We've agreed to help each other out. Lisa is completely out." Liby didn't want to share what Lisa had intended to do with Liby as of late. There was no need for pity of sorrow. Hell, there was no need for any emotion until they were allowed to be sad again.

"I'm glad you're back, Libster." Lacy smiled, and nodded foolishly. "Ha, this... Right, here you go. I hope... I hope that-"

"Lace, nothing too serious is going to happen to you. If something will, you'd know I'll stand by you. We're family, Lace. Don't forget that."

Family. Just like her parents. "Do you think this is right?"

Liby extended out a hand to reach for the photographs, but was now looking into Lacy's eyes. "What do mean by that? Look, uh..." There was a moment of silence as Liby was trying to think the words to say of whether or not she thought this was right. "I've never done such a thing, but... I remember this is for Lupa... And..."

"Do you ever think it could be you in my place? Out of the three of us, it was me who ended up in a good life. I never... Liby, I never once thought that maybe all of this was what I hadn't deserved. I didn't know who's child I was, nor I never knew about how fucked up my... Our whole family tree is. No one was ever going to feed it to me. I-" Lacy nodded frantically.

"I didn't have it bad, Lace. I mean, yeah, I'd be lying if I told you I never wondered about my birth parents. I used to cry, but rarely..." Liby grew to a sincere, calm tone, adjusting along with a portion of her past. "I don't wanna go back to Rennis. Not where I'm back to being a relative of no one. Not where I'm an orphan girl, using my jokes-" She stopped there, unable to continue. At this point, the need to cry was crystal clear to Lacy.

"Aw, hey. Hey, no need for that!" Lacy gave her half-sister a tight hug to shove the hurt away.

"B-but Lupa... No, I think... I think she deserved happiness. You have no idea how lonely she was. I tried- I tried to be her friend..."

"Shh, Libster. Don't beat yourself up. With these..." Lacy held up the wedding photos of her parents. "These can help avenge her... They freaking will. Go on, Liby. Get out of here, and text me later, alright? It's time my parents paid for their sins." She finally handed the evidence over to Liby.

"Thanks, and sorry. I'm sorry for-"

"Don't worry, just get out of here." Lacy led the prankster to the door. "Well, I hope it ends here."

As soon as Liby was sprinting her way back to the address Ronnie Anne had given her, Lacy was feeling like she had just made thes mistake that would permanently cut ties with both her loving parents. Was that the price to pay here, or was there an unseen consequence that was going to blow up in her face? She hoped it wouldn't be like that at all. No, it wasn't likely. They won. And Lynn and Lincoln would lose their own ties they had with the other family members. Case closed. Justice for Lucy. Justice for Lupa. Justice for all the others they've hurt along the way. No more. No more secrets hidden from Lacy Loud, one of the remaining daughters of sin.

Liby tucked in the set of photos underneath her tan sweater. Pity for her she didn't think to take her new backpack with her when she deserted Lisa. That might've proven to be a nuisance for Ronnie Anne, but she'd not say anything about it.

It was a long jog from here to her new place. It was a relief to Liby when the distance of both houses were much closer than the one she and Lisa were living in. The cold air was touching all of her exposed areas, giving her the surprise of a couple of sneezes.

She got home, and the familiar van was already parked on the driveway. _Oh, cool. She's home from that errand!_ Liby knocked a few times, shivering. "Hey, it's me. I got them!"

It was there that her ears finally identifed a weird sound. One that sounded like the banging of wood. The pinpoint mark was ringing off from the backyard. But that wasn't all; it was in a pattern. "Um? Hello?!" The porch lights there were turned on, and the weird sound was getting closer now. "Uhh, I got the photos! The wedding photos!"

Yes, Ronnie Anne turned around, still sporting her creeper clothes. Her face was covered in blood, which returned Liby's fear of her again. "Whoa! That was fast!" Ronnie Anne had a bloody bat in her hands, swinging it around. It, too, was bloody, but more than Ronnie face. "Oh, you must be curious. Okay..." She moved away...

...To reveal a critically wounded up Lynn Loud, all bloodied and tied to a chair, mouth covered by a blindfold.

"I'm sorry you had to see this. Go inside, and don't worry... I won't kill her." But Ronnie Anne just smiled in a dark, sinister manner.

* * *

 **AN: So, uh. Yeah, now I've just hit the climax. Ronnie Anne, the mastermind that led most of the characters down to this dark path, which will lead them to the same end once they all meet up. With this done, the fic's final chapter won't come soon enough. Oh, and yeah, that Ronnie Anne batting Lynn up is my tribute to Jump's comic.**

 **Yo, there shall be an ending! Christmas, of course.**


	10. Saints

**Days Later**

Liby was still unable to believe the complete and utter chaos that had ensued in both hers and Lacy's perilous journey that began when Lupa made her way into Lacy's life. They had it, they had the mindbreaking evidence they needed to put Lacy's parents as unfavorable members of the family. She believed it was over. She believed they gained an everlasting victory, one where Liby was finally in the more open world, exploring the limitless new life that Ronnie Anne promised her, and with her new friend, who had turned out to be one of her unknown blood relatives. They did it, they accomplished what Ronnie Anne had tasked them with. Everything went their way, and they won. But it wasn't like that at all, and Lacy Loud was left with a hole in her heart in the end.

But here they were, one early morning of a quiet Saturday in Royal Woods cemetery. Lacy was dressed more darker this time. She had a black jersey, mixed with gray shorts, a soft, tomboy-like look that was perfectly synchronized with her current state of mind. Her face was marked up with small, multiple cuts of red that hinted at what went down awhile back. She was positioned down on her knees, disturbing a grave. She touched the headstone softly, already having gone through the next stage of grief.

"L-Liby?" The athlete of incest squeaked just as a mouse would, not taking her eyes off of the grave. "Was it my fault?"

Liby was there solely to console her half-sister, and to push away any thoughts that would sent Lacy into a hurtful state. She placed her hands around Lacy's neck, and closely brushed up against her, parallel to that of a loving couple's actions. "No, Lacy. This wasn't your fault, nor mines. How could we have known? How could we have known, Lace?"

Lacy just shook her head, whimpering like a puppy. "I'm sorry-"

"Hey, Lace... Don't-"

"I wish I'd never have done all this. Lib, I screwed up so bad with my parents. I wouldn't listen, I wouldn't see it their way. Oh, God..." Lacy was practically wailing, lightly sobbing. "I didn't want this to happen. I'm so sorry I did wrong by them..."

"We, Lace. We did wrong by everyone..." And Liby kept snuggling up to Lacy while the athlete was shedding her heartbroken pain. She rested her head on the girl's back, also engulfed in the guilt for helping the crazy Ronnie Anne in the first place. "It's not too late to make it right. It's not too late to-..." But was an apology the only thing she believed Lacy needed to do? Ask for forgiveness? No, this was way too big, way too cruel for one. And even if that was the case, it surely didn't mean that Lacy had no reason to try.

"It's not too late," she finished, still soothing about on Lacy's back. "I'm sure of it." She zipped her lips to let Lacy cry further until she was no longer able to. However long it would take, Liby was prepared to wait to the ends of time.

 **Now**

"I'm sorry you had to see this," Ronnie Anne simply said, voice calm as this was nothing more than a papercut. "Go inside, and don't worry- I won't kill her."

Liby was frightened and alarmed at seeing how tortured Lynn, unconscious in the moment, had become. "W-what are you doing? That's Lacy's-"

"Go inside, girlie! I won't say it again!" Ronnie Anne rotated the bloody bat and pointed it at the house. "Vete!"

But it would've been horrifying to forget as quickly as Liby had just seen. This was far beyond what she'd have agreed with. Liby and Lacy both knew that there would be hurt after her parents were exposed, and were already embracing for the worst. Lupa, that was Lacy's reasoning. Lupa might've crashed her way into Lacy's life, but did so with the intent to find out what they found out was something that should have never been.

Her sudden fear of Ronnie Anne possessed her, sending her off into the house. Her breaths heightened with the rising heartbeating that also played with her temperature. Never before had the young prankster experienced fear of this magnitude. She didn't bother closing the backdoor behind her, only mindlessly going to the living room, where she then slid out the photos from underneath her sweater and placed them on the red couch.

She left the world in that second, retreating into her mind to wonder what do to. Going to the police would mean everyone would get the blame, and the unknown part of her family tree would be aware of what had happened from then to now. But she had to do something, at most. The phone in her pocket was yet sleeping in the comforts of it. This heavily concerned Lacy, so she had to know. The main problem was being able to tell her, and doing so in secret, while Ronnie Anne was minding her dangerous business.

Lacy had to know, to come down here. But would she be placed in the same situation as Lynn was at this moment? What would- Liby gasped at the thought of an annoyed Ronnie Anne binding the three up and doing all kinds of physical horrors onto them. She yelped like someone had snuck up nehind her and gave her a good fright. Her fingers slid inside her pocket, dramatically gaining the courage to tell someone about what was going on. It had to be Lacy... But what could they do by themselves?

She pulled out her phone, opening up to their text thread. Before she typed in the first letter, she felt an insane amount of guilt, and was gradually concerned with what was likely to happen if they really did try to defy whom they believed were on their side. What was it? What led to this?

Liby started out with a simple;

 **Hey...**

Ronnie Anne returned without notice, creeping up to see Liby holding her phone. "Hey, what are you doing? Who are you texting?" She wiped the blood from her hands onto her black sweater.

Liby stuttered, carefully choosing her words. "I was, uhhh, just letting Lacy know I was home."

Ronnie Anne observed into the girl's eyes. "You sure about that? Give it here."

Liby tried to keep herself cool, with all that was coming in like a freight train. "Sure, here..." Liby reluctantly handed the Mexican woman her phone, which was swiped carelessly from her hands. "Hey, be-" Lupa had taken Liby's backpack, a present from her seventh birthday party at Rennis. She was not going to be pleased if Lisa's gift, or in a sense a bribe, was doomed to be broken. "Be careful, please."

"This isn't this years model, Lyra."

"It's Liby," the girl corrected. "And also, this is my first phone. Hasn't been two months with it, you know."

Ronnie Anne looked to the thread. Liby had yet to send Lacy her message. "Oh, alright. But keep quiet about all this," she ordered, handing back Liby's phone. "Ah, you've got them! Well done, little one!"

Liby decided to blurt it out. "I'm sorry, but... What are you doing with... Well, my aunt?"

"Hmm, you're becoming a nuisance, kid. That's actually personal business, more than you'd understand..." Ronnie Anne then realized something. "I wish you could've let me know you were coming."

"To avoid seeing that?! This is-" Liby was then met with a cold slap on her face, strong enough to being her to tears. "Ow!" It hurt so much, even at impact her struck cheek had turned red. She stroked it gently, twitching at its sting.

"Stay in the house, alright? You're lucky I'm letting you keep your phone." Ronnie Anne grabbed the photos on the couch, exiting her angry expression to replace with clear joy. "Nicely done, Liby. Hey, don't worry about Lynn, I've just finished up hurting her."

Liby didn't feel less relieved from this. She looked to the direction outside, and then back at Ronnie Anne. She nodded with the watery glittering still in her eyes, and began to move into her room without looking back. She made up her mind right then and there. Liby shut the door, went under her covers on the bed she was assigned to, and quickly began to inform her half-sister what was really going on at this moment.

Meanwhile, at the Loud residence, Lacy was banging a tennis ball against the walls of her room. She didn't know what to expect later tonight. Probably some notification from Liby but she wasn't too sure of such a thing. Both her parents had yet to come home at the time.

It hadn't even been eight, which was usually around the time they'd start showing up. Lynn first, followed by Lincoln. Lacy was a bit bored, with no one to really play with. Something inside of her had begun to feel more empty with each new day she got through, namely the ones in which she and her parents would not really speak to each other. Or, rather she'd just ignore them when they tried to start a conversation, like nothing had happened. She guessed they were no longer mad about the whole Lisa thing, but they would be again, if they knew everything, which was the everything that was not, and ever, going to be retracted.

The lights in her room were off, rendering it a cool atmosphere. Her bowl of soup wasn't finished, and sat on a small table on the side of her bed, which was holding a ln ugly blue lamp already. She, placed in a criss-cross position on her bed, faced the wall tnat was usually behind her, still tossing the tennis ball mindlessly. A few more of those she cycled until the buzzing vibration of her phone finally made the athlete break the streak, redirecting the ball to the floor.

She went to her phone which was rested face up on top of her dresser. The damn thing was tall enough to give the short girl a bit of trouble; she had to tiptoe nowadays when she'd, or her parents, would set something down, which was more bother as much as this. She wasn't too annoyed to actually wish the phone would vibrate out from the top of the dresser and into the floor.

 _Who could this be?_ The text had indeed come from Liby, as she figured. _They did it!_ Lacy swiped the lock, opening up to view the confirmation that all had gone their way. Lacy had no guilt in her heart, for she, and Liby, had done this to avenge a fallen half-sister, the reason which they justified their actions.

But no, it wasn't what she imagined. It was _not_ what she had expected one bit;

 **YOUR MOM'S IN DANGER! OUR NEWFOUND PARTNER IS LITERALLY TORTURING HER! I DON'T KNOW WHAT DO TO!**

Lacy let out a loud gasp, and re-read the text. Her green eyes widened with a surprising shock, moving around to carefully read each word as she thought she misread. Nope, it was all correct, and it didn't help that it was all caps lock, either.

There was a chance that she almost didn't buy it, because of how skeptical it seemed. But this was the fair and honest Liby, who had been on her side through the whole ride, and had not lied to good d Lacy, despite being kept away from the half Lacy had kept from her. It couldn't have been a lie, so-

A second text broke her concentrated stare;

 **SHE'S GOING TO HURT ME WHEN SHE FINDS OUT! I NEED YOUR HELP!**

Lacy wasted no time in sending her own reply, now obliged to move quickly. It was real, and her stomach was legitimately twisting and turning with emotions that felt equal but the opposite she felt when she had her first crush a few grades back. These certain sentiments were nearly sickening to her.

 _Oh, God,_ the young athlete screamed in her mind, having already sent out her response;

 **Send me the address!**

Lacy wasn't sure of what to think, but she was definitely able to trust her half-sister. Now was a time to get moving. She was basically dressed up in her usual orange shirt and blue shorts, ready to set out for the rescue mission.

She had already headed out the door, as the address to Ronnie Anne's place was given to her. _Jesus! I'm on my way!_

Liby remained put in her room, listening in on the cringing sound that led her to find the heavily bruised Lynn in the hands of the Mexican woman. Maybe it was over...

She decided to wander back out, quietly tiptoeing out of her room. Everything had indeed gone still, that it seemed no one was around. "Uh, hey?" Liby had yet to mark down Ronnie Anne's name into her brain. "Hello?"

She sniffed while still looking around. Maybe Ronnie Anne had gone back out to wrap up her cruel business with the Loud mother. She wasn't so afraid as to take a look back out there, believing Ronnie Anne was covering Lynn from Liby's eyes with her dark clothed shape standing in front of her. She took a glance through the glass of the sliding balcony doors, and saw the tilted Lynn Loud alone in the lights, still out for the night. The bat that had done its unintended work was right in front of her feet.

Liby immediately faced away from the horrible sight, before her brain had gathered the intel that the torturer was not actually there. In turn, Liby heard a pair of footsteps behind her. She gulped in rising fear, with the back of her hair standing on edge.

"What... The fuck... Is this?" Ronnie Anne had Liby's phone in her hand, opened to the thread. "You told her..."

Liby had no intention to turn around, and even so, the riled up nervousness in her system would keep her from doing so. Her entire body was only screaming off a single command; to run. Liby was closer to the balcony when she decided to make a run for it. All she had to do was hold off the psychotic Mexican until Lacy came running to her rescue.

Liby was perfectly still until she finally broke into it. She had begun to sweat at the simple thought of fleeing. Her hand reached the handles, and quickly guided them to the right. The damn thing took effort to drag with her hands, and that might've been the few seconds that wasn't on her side.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Ronnie Anne beat her to the punch, grabbing the girl by her scrawny shoulders and pulled her back. "Points for trying!"

"Let me go-!" Liby lost grip of the handle once the stronger Mexican used enough force to tug her away and throw her down to the floor. Liby plummeted, secretly thankful the floor had a fuzzy carpet to prevent some serious damage. "Oof!"

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Ronnie Anne grunted, placing a foot on one of Liby's legs. "Why did you go cause me some trouble?" She bent down to her and began to deliver a session of physical abuse onto the minor in the form of hard face slapping and further crushed her leg, making a terrible song composed of the girl's powerful cries.

"Stop! Please!"

Ronnie Anne would've been a little amused, if this was Lacy rather than Luan's brat. "You, I didn't want to hurt," the older woman admitted softly. She then turned her flat hand into a fist, which stopped Liby's live performance.

"Wait, wait-" Liby raised her hand, but did so too late. It plopped as she did, after Ronnie Anne had delivered the punch point blank.

"Damn you, Liby," Ronnie Anne hissed, placing two fingers on Liby's wrist. "Hopefully I didn't kill you by blunt force trauma. Jeez, you're scrawny." Another thorn of a nuisance poked away at her side, now with Liby having gone to try and stop the woman's personal vendetta against the superior athlete.

She had to bother going through the same goddamn thing, which was to tie her up and gag her. But then there was the matter of Lacy, the daughter of the damn cheater who played her hidden card at the perfect opportunity. Lynn struck where Ronnie Anne was needed to be placed in, and the game was over. She had won, and that had enraged the Mexican ex like crazy.

Lacy Loud, the sole reminder of a love that should never have been. Ronnie Anne had everything to expose them, but... No, there was that change of plans now that Ronnie Anne had actually gone back to remember all that had happened. Not that she ever forgot, but she just never thought about it. She never thought about it until...

 _She dropped Liby off to collect the intel, and then drove off fast but in a smooth manner. She was content with her move in the new game, but maintained her seriousness as she kept driving back. For a second, she was distracted in what Lynn and Lincoln built together._

 _And she remembered it happened, that she was once in that spot. That she loved him, and he loved her back. Thar could've been her future, with him. The boy who was different than the others. He had heart, and, maybe due to being around one too many sisters, had a great sense of maturity. There were also the great times they had, and if anything, they built a strong friendship, even more stronger than their relationship. Hell, maybe that was the relationship._

 _She remembered that she would never be there again. And that drove her to hunt Lynn down._

 _She got the drop on her in a parking lot, outside of Royal Woods school grounds. She studied as much as she could gather on her. Ronnie Anne wasn't even a little surprised that Lynn had ended up as P.E. instructor. She used a bat for the job, sneaking up behind the unsuspecting Lynn as she made her way to her car._

 _"Hate you!" Ronnie Anne screamed with rage, raising the bat over her head and swinging it down with all her might._

 _Lynn was fast enough to turn but not to avoid the hard wood coming at her. The impact knocked her out, and that put a pleasing smile on the clouded Ronnie Anne._

She finished tying up the now useless daughter of the annoying jokester she wouldn't mind punching here and now. Then again, she did murder Lisa, whose lifeless body was waiting to be discovered during trash day. There was no need for loose ends in her great cruel scheme, and there was still not gonna be.

Ronnie Anne didn't need to tie the girl up to a chair; all she did was place the girl in a closet that only locked from the outside, where it was dark, and was bound to get hot the longer she was there, meaning probable suffocation. Next order of business was Lynn, who Ronnie Anne deemed as bait.

Lacy followed the path her map app had guided. She was on the opposite street, scouting around thr house. The lights were indeed on, but no silhouettes were moving behind the curtains. Did Liby get caught? Was she already too late? Lacy grew concerned, moving closer to the smaller house than the one she lived in.

The short athlete made her way to the window, peering through the curtains for any shadows. She then ducked down and checked her phone for any word from the prankster. She went on to shoot another text before the lights eerily flickered off at once, and muffled sounds rang off to give her a fright. Lacy circled around, looking for an entry inside.

And that was what Ronnie Anne anticipated. Lo and behold, the bloody mother of the girl sat motionless, still bound to the chair.

"M-mom?!" Lacy risked her element of surprise and ran up to her. "Oh, my god!" She immediately untied Lynn and carefully peeled back the duct tape from her mouth. She leaned her head in close to her mother's drooped face, relieving herself once she heard the faint breathing from the first athlete's nose. "Mom!"

Lacy slapped her, something she never believed she would ever do in this lifetime. The sound emitted was like a single firework going off on Lynn's face, and Lacy was able to feel it strongly.

Lynn's eyes popped wide open, and gasped around the cool environment she found herself in. "Lace- Lacy, what's-?" Lynn succumbed to the painful bruise she endured on her skull. The wound had stopped its bleeding by then, but the side of her face was still red, and dripped down the side of her face. "Who- Who was it? Who did this to me?"

Lynn had no inflicted damage on both of her arms or legs, but had taken a couple of blows to her stomach by the ruthless Mexican, so much that she felt like barfing up whatever would come out. "What are you doing here, Lace?" There was so much Lacy needed to finally tell her, and this is where she then finally had her eyes open; this wasn't a simple win-or-lose type of game. This was something way bigger, and spiralled out of control.

"Mom, I'll answer that later. I'll tell you everything, I promise, now we just have to-" Lacy was rightfully distracted by trying to help her badly hurt mom that Liby was almost forgotten in the mess. "Liby!"

"Li- Liby? The abom-" Lynn groaned before she could finish, and gripped her stomach as she wobbled herself to a stance. "I remember someone hitting me..."

"Mom, wait here, I'll be right back..." Lacy said with a mixture of fear and courage.

"Lace?" The curious Lynn had no idea what was specifically happening, but she knew danger wasn't too far away. "Lace, no!" But Lynn wasn't up for quick movements, and lost the race to Lacy, who had already entered the house and began her frantic search for Liby. Her shorts buzzed with the notification of a new text;

 **You'll have to find your friend, and fast!**

No doubt it was from Ronnie Anne, the current holder of Liby's phone. "Damn it!"

 _Find her where? Around the house?_ Lacy looked around the living room. _If I was playing hide and seek..._

Lacy tried the closets first, then, if there was a basement, she'd go there. Luck was with her when she saw the unconscious comedienne lying inside the third closet she came to. "Libster!"

Lacy worked her magic on the poor girl, untying her and shook her rather than a slap.

"AGH!" Liby returned a horrific face and yell, and scratched Lacy's face before she could gather the currently new situation. "OH, LA-"

The sporty girl was the welcomed into Liby's arms, and allowed herself to be crushed to death for coming to her aid. "I'm glad you're okay! Did she- She hurt you, didn't she?"

"Not worse than..." Liby began. "Is- Is she-?"

"She's not dead, Liby..." Lacy felt so relieved to know that both Liby and her mother were fine, as fine as they were able to be. "Jesus, Libster, we really got into quite a pickle now, didn't we?"

"If only I could crack a food _yolk_ ," teased the prankster.

Lacy allowed herself to have this moment, and gave a hearty laugh along with Liby. "Where'd she go? Did she leave you there and run off?"

"That would make sense... What's gonna happen now? She's gonna shake up your family tree, Lace. I know we had nothing to worry about, but what if that's not true anymore? No... What if it never was? What if the two girls did wrong the whole time?

Lynn made her way inside, feeling the same disgust she had when she saw the other two illegitimate daughters of Lincoln. "What's she doing here, Lace?"

"Mom, she- I didn't mean to do this, I didn't know she'd-"

"Lacy..." Lynn felt the tone that sounded something like a confession. "Start-" She gagged a little, still feeling stomach tension. "You'd better start talking..."

Liby thought it best to stray from the pending mother-daughter talk, moving into the kitchen.

"Lacy, I'm not asking again. What is all this about?!"

And, like before, like those psst times she'd get into trouble with them, she was legitimately afraid of a natural scolding of the harsh, but loving mother. That's why she couldn't form words at first. Her mind was going off the charts, totally unfocused and nervous. "Mom, I'm- I'm so sorry..."

Lacy wanted so much to take everything back now.

"We'll talk later, Lacy. You can count on that... As for the girl-" Lynn had been promised by Lisa that Liby would be returned to Rennis. Clearly, there was more she had yet to be filled in of. "Damn it, my keys are gone..." Lynn tapped around her jeans, sighing with aggravated irritation. "Phone's also gone..."

"Here, mom. Use mine," Lacy offered. "Lib? Liby, where'd you go?"

The tall comedienne came back from the mess of a kitchen, jingling around some keys she bobbed around in between two fingers. "Did you see the van outside?"

"Hard to miss, Libster," Lacy answered. "Why?"

"She would've taken it if she ran off, right? And by the looks of it, she's not around."

"Who, girl? Who are you speaking-?" Lynn was called away by some hanging pictures she didn't closely notice. Most of them consisted of the entire Santiago family, smiling around next to each other in various backgrounds. Lynn understood what was generally going on in that instant. "Oh, my God..."

"What? What is it, mom?" Lacy wanted to know what the story was between them, now that it was realized that there was definitely true history there. "Who is she?"

"Tell me, Lacy. How do you two know her? Tell me right now!"

And so Lacy did, without a choice. Not that she earned one, with what she and Liby had done. "Ph- Photos, mom. She's the one who called you that day, and she wanted evidence of... Of your incestuous relationship with my father. I-"

"You... Didn't," Lynn softly hissed, outraged at learning this methodically perfect betrayal. "How, Lacy? How could you do such a thing?!" The urge to slap Lacy rose to exponential heights, but she tried harder to fight it off. "You both did this?"

"No, not this. We didn't know, we didn't know she'd kidnap and hurt you, mom. We didn't know this would happen."

"And what did you think woulf happen, Lacy?! This whole thing is beyond you, out of control. Now, call your father, we're taking Ronnie Anne's van. Come on, Lacy."

"Wait, what about Liby?"

"She stays here, not my concern-"

"Mom, she was tied up in a closet. She was the one who saved you, not me," Lacy protested. "She'll be in danger if Roxanne or whatever her name is comes back."

Lynn thought about it, then exhaled. "Alright, fine. Liby, was it? Go, get moving."

"Thank you..." Liby quietly said.

The three exited the house, still cautious about the hostile Ronnie Anne not too far away. Lynn had begun her call to Lincoln as they boarded the vehicle. Lacy took shotgun, leaving Liby in the backseat.

"Linc?" Lynn hoped she was able to drive in this condition, for she was barely able to keep up with Lacy. "Are you home?"

There was nothing in this world that was ever going to allow Lacy to take back and forget everything she had done for someone who had chose death than to live with the hard reality of her origination. All this, what was it worth?

"Lacy did something awful, Lincy. Ronnie Anne's involved. Come home soon, okay? I'm on my way now, I'll explain everything."

Lynn started the ignition after hanging up. "We need to find Ronnie Anne immediately. Any ideas of where she could be?"

Liby shook her head, unable to answer.

"So, she took you from Lisa, right? That's what I'm thinking."

"Yeah, she said I'd be able to remain. I didn't want to go back to Rennis, if I'm to be honest. So-"

"You're kidding me right?" Lynn wasn't able to see the logic in that. "You're a kid, how do you not want to?"

"Mom!"

"Because..." Lynn was hitting an all too familiar nerve Liby grew uncomfortable in. "I just wanted to stay around this... This new world I've only seen in television back-"

"New world? What, you mean you want to stay beyond the orphanage? That's-"

"But I wanted to with my family, and that means Lacy as of now. Aunt..."

That word, aunt, was one she didn't believe she'd ever hear in her life. To be called that, it felt strange, yet pleasant. Lynn felt something good inside as Liby kept talking.

"I just wanted what I thought I could have. I didn't ask for this, I didn't ask for Lisa to use me as some object. She didn't care, she didn't care about me." Liby entered her gloomy mood and simply looked down.

Lynn had bought the play, and was feeling something like guilt before they were at halfway back home. "Geez, I didn't look at it like that. I figured you'd have it good there, you know?"

"I wanted to know more about myself, and this... This isn't anything like I'd hoped for. Who would've thought, Lupa and Lacy, my half-sisters, and we didn't know about each other's relation. Funny, right?"

"I mean..." Lynn groaned out. "Well..."

Liby used Lynn's loss for words to move down and silently cry. Her feet felt a soft, long object lying flat over the car floor on the backseats. "Huh?" She turned into a curious cat, zooming her face to wbat seemed like a rolled up carpet.

"What is it, Liby?" Lacy asked.

Ronnie Anne revealed herself and let out a hag-like scream, hitting Liby again. "LYNN!" She then lunged at the winner, placing both of her hands on Lynn's neck.

"Ack!" Lynn tried to keep her face on the road. "Ruh!"

"Mom!" Lacy flew into panic, backing into the corner of her side in the van.

"You took it away! You took my life with him! It was supposed to be me who won!" Ronnie Anne released Lynn only to slam her head back into the seat, and did so a few times after. "Disgusting! You there, don't try anything!"

Lacy simply raised her hands, complying in fear. "Don't hurt her, please!"

"You all are going to pay dearly for this!" Ronnie Anne wrapped an arm around Lynn's throat while making a grab at Lacy. "Come here, you little shit!"

"Lac-" Lynn frantically swerved the steering wheel, trying to shake off the psychotic Mexican. "Fahhhh-!"

"Drive steady!"

Lynn quickly pointed at herself. "Lahhhce! Huhhh!"

"Keep quiet! Go to the school, now!"

Lynn applied the brakes abruptly, sending the Mexican forwards. She fought back and returned the favor by biting into Ronnie Anne's ear and then elbowing her face after she realized the scream. Lynn coughed before starting again. "If you wanted a rematch, you should have come more prepped! I've always bested you, tacos!"

Ronnie Anne fell back, covering her mouth while bleeding from her nose. "Mmm!" She only grew more angry, and then jumped to the driver's seat, landing on top of Lynn. "YOU'RE DEAD!" The relentless Ronnie Anne cried out, shoving both hands onto the gas pedal as her feet went on to kick Lynn.

The car began to gain speed as Lynn tried to move her leg away from the accelerator. "Damn you, get the hell out-" She tried to push away Ronnie Anne's resisting feet away from her face. "Lacy, freaking help me! Get in the back and pull her from there!"

"M-mom!" The young daughter began.

"LACY, DO IT NOW!"

Luckily for them, the streets around were usually quiet and desolate at this time of night. They presented no apparent danger to anyone. Apart from themselves, that was.

Lacy made a terrified leap back into the backseat, joining up with the unconscious comedienne lumped down, but still hanging on by her seatbelt. "Lib..."

"NOW, LACY!" Lynn was still struggling with the wheel while shoving away Ronnie Anne's insane kicking.

Lacy grabbed ahold of one of the Mexican woman's legs and pulled with all her might. "Urgh! She smells!"

"I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT! KEEP DOING IT!" Lynn began to kick Ronnie Anne's hand with the one she was able to move. "FUCK OFF!" She took off her eyes in that moment, to take Ronnie Anne's arm and bit it as hard as she could.

"FUCK!" The Mexican reacted by pushing herself over the driver. "TOGETHER!" She turned the steering wheel quickly to the right, and forced herself off from Lynn. The van overturned as she jumped to the back and grabbed Lacy. "Shield me!"

"LACY!" Lynn unbuckled as the van began rolling, but wasn't able to reach Lacy with the unsteady movements.

Windows shattered, and much of the van took some damage, earning heavy denting around. Lacy felt several shards of glass cut into her face. "MOM! MOM!"

Ronnie Anne was still hidden behind the girl. The four of them were thrown around to be hurt enough until the vehicle had finally stopped rolling. They were upside down, rolled in between a lawn and the street pavement.

Ronnie Anne, who took less damage than Lacy, crawled through the window, limping. "I'll get all of you, I'll get all of you!"

Lacy, feeling horrible in the crash, brushed her face away with her arm. Several lines of blood marked on the arm, and she was practically disturbed by it. "Mom!"

She crawled to Lynn, who went quiet and motionless. "Mom, hey-!" She turned her mother's shoulders, and readied an arm to jumpstart a wake-up. But that was out of the question the moment Lacy gazed upon her.

A large piece of glass had dug itself into her eye, creating such a sight not suitable for her eyes. The wound, a dark red one, was gushing out Lynn's blood before her daughter. "M-mom?" Lacy gave her a poke, and wasn't sure what this was. She had never seen death face-to-face before, so there was that, and the scars it came with it. "Mom," she said, shaking Lynn's head now. "No, please..."

Ronnie Anne peeked over, and saw to it that her rival had now finally died here. "She cheated, kid. This has been a long time coming." Ronnie Anne took out the photos she folded in her pocket and dropped them on the ground. "I guess that's that..."

Lacy cradled her dead mother, crying. "Don't leave- Don't leave me, please!"

"Huh?" Liby came back to, but found herself in a different situation. "Oh, God, my leg!"

"Li- Liby! Liby, are you okay?" Lacy sobbed.

"Yeah, I'm- Hey, what's the crying ab-?" Liby then stopped. "Oh, my God, what happened?!"

Ronnie Anne kicked at the overturned car. "I happened..."

"You'll pay dearly for this!" Lacy screamed.

In Lynn's pocket, Lacy's phone had begun ringing. She pulled it out slowly, seeing it was none other than her father. "D-dad?" She answered, with the still-yet quaking voice. "Daddy, I'm- I'm hurt real badly... Send help. It's mom- Sh- She's-"

Ronnie Anne backed away nervously. "Damn it! One day, we'll meet again, Louds. Count on it!"

Liby watched the shadow of the cruel Mexican begin to drift out of view. "Hey, hey, get back here!"

"I- I'm so sorry, dad..." She coughed with guilt, trying to keep from breaking down. "Please hurry."

Liby crawled out of the car, bruised and scraped on some parts of her body. "Ow! Lacy? Get out of there."

"H- Help me, help me take my mother out-" Lacy sobbed.

Liby went to the driver's side and budged open the door. "Alright, alright, how is-" Liby bent down and saw for herself that Lynn wasn't harmed, but rather dead. "Oh!" She stepped backwards, and then fell from the shock of it.

"Liby, please," the athlete commanded.

"Oh, my God, Lace..." Liby slowly stood up once again, and went to help drag Lynn's body out of the van, amidst the intense shaking at the horrendous scene. "Aw, God..."

Lacy bawled her eyes out, letting her wails go higher as Liby grunted with her pulling. "Ah, she's- So- Heavy!" Liby set the body leaning against the sidewalk.

"M- M- M-" The crying daughter stuttered uncontrollably, finally deciding to come out of the overturned van. "No!"

Liby left Lacy to grieve, falling silent besides the fallen Lynn.

Wrong. They were wrong, and it was here that Liby had understood it. "Lace..."

A pair of headlights closed in from distance away, approaching the girls eerily. "Huh?" Lacy was dazed by the pair of lights. "W- Who's that?"

The second car stopped right at the scene, and Lincoln quickly rushed out after seeing Lynn.

Lacy only felt even more like absolute shit at seeing how heartbroken her father's face expressed. "D- Dad... I'm sorry-"

"LYNNIE!" Lincoln dashed to the lifeless corpse, and then embraced it in his arms. "NO, NOT YOU, PLEASE!"

Lacy approached her father carefully, feeling a possible barrage of intense screaming about to burst from his mouth. "D- Dad..."

Lincoln wept into Lynn's jersey, and then lightly set it back down. He eyed Lacy, through the watery, red eyes he developed. He then walked up to her, while Liby kept spectating.

"Dad, I- I can't even-" Lacy expected some sort of punishment, a truly god-awful one for this. And moreso when she'd have to explain the complete mess to him.

Instead, he hugged her tight, which was a surprise for Lacy as she did not believe she earned it with all that she allowed and accepted. But maybe it was something she needed. "I didn't know, I promise, I didn't know..."

They stayed formed in their hug, while Liby was left wondering what was going to happen from here on out. The three sank into the night, as everything was calming down, as much as it was able to.

 **Days Later**

Liby returned to Rennis after everything was cleared up. They had to say this was a random kidnapping, and nothing was dug deep enough to uncover the clear connections, apart from Lisa Loud, who had a different alias known by her fandom, being found dead at the motel. Wherever the suspect was, she sure as hell was wanted all the way around, and this marked the Louds safe.

Lincoln hid whatever evidence suggested otherwise, to prevent the incestuous connection from being discovered, meaning the texts from Lacy's phone and the photos Ronnie Anne had decided to leave behind after it was realized her petty revenge had succeeded.

The funeral for Lynn was mostly filled with her students and the school staff who knew her, and Liby was invited, once Lacy persuaded to her father that she had helped Lacy rescue Lynn and herself from Ronnie Anne.

Lacy and Liby were the only two there, because they had to be there. Lacy had yet to finish her everlasting mourning, but her tears had stopped for sure.

"It's all my fault," Lacy uttered once more. "I killed her. I killed my mother."

"No, Lace. She died trying to fight off our attacker. She loved you, Lace. I'm sure of that."

"I want to take it back. It's not fair, at all. I need her."

"I know I can't say anything to relieve you of your pain and what you're feeling, but I'm sorry, and you can't beat yourself up. We both did wrong here, and... I feel guilty that I played a hand in leading ourselves to this. I care about you, and you're a real great friend to come rescue me. Of course I'll be there for you. We're in this together, and we always will be."

"I'm going to miss her, Libster," she whispered.

"I know you will, and as she was my aunt, I will too," Liby further added. "I'm glad I've been allowed to attend. Normally it's against the orphanage policy but they cut me some slack when they knew enough. And Lupa..." Liby gave a second to pause. "They're mourning her, and she has yet to be buried. Funds aren't high to bury her, is what I've heard."

"Oh..." Lacy simply replied. "Hey, um, how are you holding up? I'm sorry this isn't what you wanted."

"It's the same, but there's not much, really. I'm not in any peril, so that's something, right?"

"It's something good, yeah. I'm glad you're doing okay, and you know I'll try to visit you, alright? That's a promise, Libster."

Liby gave in to a semi pseudo smile, while still having all the recent troubles on her mind. "At least I can watch my mother's old videos back home. Pity my phone was never returned, but all of aunt Lynn's belongings were left in her car."

Lacy chuckled a bit, keeping her eyes locked on the grave. "Ha, yeah, that's a bummer. But, you know, I'm glad you found some answers about your biological parents."

"Well, yeah, I mean, it's not the best, but it's... It's fine, right? I see where I get my love of hijinks and pranks."

"I wish Lupa was here. She's one of us, too," Lacy said.

"We could've been a trio. I can see it now, the daughters of sin living about."

"Daughters of sin? Interesting label for us..." Lacy had the desire for fairness- And the need for it didn't just apply to games and sports. The three, all products of incest, and Lacy was the one rewarded for breathing. The fact, the only fact she let slip was that there was the huge difference between her and the other two; Lacy was the planned child of two loving parents, who knew it wasn't legal, but did so anyway. They not only loved each other, but also adored their little Lacer-beam throughout her life. "All I can wish for is that damn... Whatever her name is, getting caught by the police."

"I want the same, as well. She wanted us dead, and- Is the history even still relevant at this point?"

"No, the past should've died. My fault for digging..." Lacy sighed deeply, and Liby gave her a good patting. "Whatever the reason was, we shouldn't bother in finding. We're alive, and I wanna keep it that way. All the skeletons in the closet aren't worth our lives."

"I agree," Liby replied. "So, I've to go back soon, by the way."

"That's fine, dad'll give you a ride back." Lacy finally stood up, ready to leave. "Well, mom..."

Lacy waved her final goodbye to the grave. "...I'll miss you."

Liby shed a single tear but wiped it away, and strolled off with Lacy away.

* * *

 **Epilogue**

Lacy waited when the intruder began to move into the creaky hallway. She knew who the primary suspect could very well be. She wasn't scared as much as she was before, but she still shook. The footsteps stopped, followed by the openind of her door.

She had anticipated such a thing, and it happened sooner than she believed. All this while dear daddy was working overtime now.

Ronnie Anne was pleased to have eluded the cops and gain a further step in her conquest of vengeance. She spotted the hidden Lacy under the covers of her bed. "I've got you know, you little demon!" The insane woman sported a kitchen knife in her hand, and then pulled at the covers with the other hand. "Ha, I've got-!"

Underneath, were just a pile of clothes, arranged to look like it was Lacy.

"What the-?"

"This..." Lacy was actually concealed behind the door, when Ronnie Anne barged in. She gripped a bat tightly in her hands, and crept up to the Mexican woman.

Ronnie Anne turned around in full surprise. "You!"

"This is for my mother!" And Lacy swung the bat into Ronnie Anne's face.

* * *

 **AN: Thus concludes SotS, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did when writing. Ah, I just wrapped this today, on Christmas Eve. Ah, how annoying it was to have such little time! Anyhow, it all tries to revert back to how it was before the poem was found, which Liby still had hidden away in her room back at Rennis.**

 **I'm very satisfied with all that I've received for this, which was beyond this site, to add. There are indeed a whole lotta viewpoints in this fic, which I feel are strong enough to be felt and seen. There's the whole Lynn and Lincoln thing getting together, which serves as a form of hypocrisy in a way, and the three daughters of sin know what they are, as well as how they came to be. Of course, Liby and Lacy made sense of everything after, well, you know.**

 **It wasn't just a quest to avenge the dead Lupa, but that's basically the base of much of what this fic is founded on.**

 **With that being said, this is officially my final fic of 2017. Starting off fresh with The Twisted Case of Lynn Loud, followed by a Luaggie and another DoS story. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!**


	11. Once

**One Year Later**

He pulled into the driveway of the wonderful house he and his lovely wife had bought and settled down in. He knew the risk of living here, in the same damn town that the both of them had grown up in. Their parents, Lynn Sr. and Rita Loud, were unsuspecting of their incestuous, unholy relationship that then escalated into marriage. No, not just them, but the rest of their sisters. From Lily to Lori, no one had known of it. Not them, and not of their sweet daughter's existence. And nobody could know about this.

To him, and to Lynn, Lupa was no concern of his. Lupa, the unwanted child of an incident that should never have been. Lupa _and_ Liby. Liby, the ultimate surprise no one saw coming. A pair of relatives in the Loud family tree that had no place in it. And, if we were to get right down to it, sweet little Lacy, who won the jackpot at birth, had also no place to exist in this fucked up world.

He did it right. He did all the right procedures to avoid this. The tabs on Lupa were kept by him and his wife for years, and it seemed like she would have never been a problem. But the poem, it somehow proved to be insurance that Lucy had gotten. Maybe she intended to reclaim the baby, or for it to know something about itself when it grew up at the right age. Lincoln didn't know what Lucy's plans were there, but one thing that was clear to him was that she totally wanted the baby in her life. And maybe it was due to Lupa's status as an abomination that made her wanted by Lucy.

Her remembered what exact events had led up to her death.

 _Lucy had sought out his address, hoping to come to him to renegotiate the terms of their compromise. Lucy was there to get bsck the child, but needed Lincoln's blessing as he was Lupa's father. She didn't expect to find that Lynn was there, and Lincoln, not having backbone to deny her entrance, even after her role in the rape all those years ago, had let her come in and discover what was real and what could never be._

 _Lynn was there, in a jogging attire, looking just as sexy as she usually would be when she went out for jogs. She was more hostile than Lincoln had been at the time, opting out to grab and lead the older goth girl out of their house. And while Lucy was screaming, calling them hypocrites and liars of the family, Lynn was shaken up throughout the ride._

 _That night was the night where he and his wife were completely freaking out, praying to whomever needed to send prayers to, and hoping Lucy would not go and squeal their unholy secret that would get in the way of their love. And, the funny thing about that night was that they had some rougher sex that would go on to get Lynn pregnant._

 _To sum it all up, Lacy was actually Lucy's fault. Lacy. Lucy. How much more creative can I be?_

 _Lincoln knew that it would hurt her, if it didn't already, and Lynn, who had cried about Lucy being the third to know about their unholy union, still insisted on focusing on themselves. In truth, Lynn had always hated both Lucy and Luan for what they did to their brother. She wanted nothing to do with them, or even mention their names._

 _Every single time Lincoln unintentionally brought them up, it was due to him usually forgetting that Lynn would go in bitch mode about them. She had such hatred for them, more than anyone she'd ever had in the entirety of her young life. He was more afraid of them than he was angry, but Luan was the scarier one of the two. Lucy was just Lucy, always the creepy goth who appeared and disappeared in her moments. Luan was more of the sicker one of the two, having bizarre laughing fits and an odd desire to prank her family members, regardless if she ended up hurting them. It grew worse and worse for each year, and who knew what would have happened if she hadn't escaped while pregnant._

 _None of this. None of this was imaginable back then. Back to when there was a moment Lynn was in the rain, underneath a gray day, having confessed her sinful feelings to him before running out. She liked him in the way a girl developed a crush on a boy, and not as siblings. She was messed up in that way, and she killed those feelings. But it wasn't forever._

 _Who could have imagined? Who could have predicted that it would end up like this? Almost everything in her favor?_

 _She blossomed and nurtured a love inside him that came to be right after his traumatization of the dual rape incident. She was there for him, but took advantage of him to plant the seeds of her refueled "love" for him. Maybe, maybe this was all a test from the start. A simple test where failing was passing. Maybe the good Lord above had set this in motion since the beginning, and her punishment was death, the ugliest punishment in all of existence. And she did die. She died, leaving behind both of her two treasures. Forever._

Lincoln blinked away, but brought himself back into focus. He turned off the engine and pulled out the keys from the ignition before boarding off his car. He got out and slammed the door shut, but stopped himself from heading inside. Where was it? Where was the second sound that followed after he shut the driver's door? Lincoln looked to the other side of the car, expecting to see Lynn. Maybe this time she would be there.

No, just like all those hopeless times he gazed there, Lynn was never there. And she'd never be there again.

Lincoln took his leave, and with deader eyes, he made his way inside the depressing home that housed one less now. "Lacy?"

He slipped out of his shoes and set them right by the staircase, taking a seat onto the couch. A tough day at work, plus additional battle with depression from the aftermath. Depression that the damn therapist could not heal with words and thoughts. It lingered on for so long, and even with Lacy around, the leftover keepsake of what he believed would be a great, everlasting relationship. A symbol of such a beautiful love. That's what she was.

"Lacy?" He raised his voice, calling out to her from his comfortable, but lonely spot. The house felt empty, sounded vacant, and he believed the little scamp was away, somewhere alone in the night. Maybe she was there again. There, at the cemetery, talking to her fallen mother like so many times she'd go there to do. And not at all having informed him in any of those times.

Lacy and Lincoln had a less-than-ideal relationship fit for a father and daughter. He was a pushover of a father to her, and would usually let her do what she pleased, as long as she was excelling in her school studies and behaved well and played clean with her other fellow classmates. God knew that Lynn had a knack for being abrasive and rough when she was around Lacy's age.

That was Lincoln's way of raising Lacy, but Lynn had a distinctly different view of doing it. She wanted a winner out of her daughter, usually urging on for her to try most sports. That's literally the reason why Lynn became a coach in the first place. Her goal was Lacy, forming a champion in her. But the hidden perk to being close to Lacy was also that; To be closer to Lacy. She loved her daughter as both her daughter and the tiny athlete she was becoming. None of this was forced onto Lacy, as she found herself to be enjoying what her mother placed on the path of her life.

The difference between the mother and the daughter was that Lacy wasn't much of a roughhousing girl like her mother. It had to be Lincoln's side that canceled out those levels of Lynn's traits, and it was admirable among both parents to know that Lacy got into little to no trouble in her years of participating in basketball, baseball, etc. Lacy, a better girl than young Lynn Loud.

Lacy, the kid Lynn was survived by. Lacy, born into a life that was paved by darkness. Darkness...

She happened to actually be in the house that late evening, only making soft footsteps while she made her way down the quiet house. "Hey, dad... How was work?"

He had his rested against the couch, slowly turning it to her direction. "Oh, the same," he replied curtly.

She made her way next to him, leaning against him. "Do you know? Do... You know what today is?"

He did, and that made this day the worst day for the rest of his life. It was the day Lynn died, exactly one year later.

 _Lacy was crying alone that day, being heavily comforted by Liby, who remained silent, feeling guilty of her role in the death of her aunt. Even as she was hated by Lacy's parents, her two own relatives, Liby didn't hate them as much by the end. Both of them simply forgot how much they've invested their feelings into, waking up to the reality of the world._

 _As for Lincoln, he couldn't keep himself off of the corpse of his dead wife, cradling her tightly while crying with red and blurry eyes, and the infinite amount of tears that flowed down from his face, dropping around the body. He begged for her to wake up, to move. Something. Some kind of reaction. Some sign that... That-_

 _"LYNN, PLEASE!" He never let go, not even when the ambulance and patrol units had come, shut down the street, and had her body moved from the scene. He went the corpse, getting into the ambulance unit. All while Lacy, who could not bring herself to follow him due to the shame she had brought upon them both, stayed with Liby, still crying._

 _Liby took Lacy back to her house, deciding to stay with her until further notice. Lincoln would probably come back and kick her out. That was the harsh reality of it; Liby was simply one of two reminders that Lincoln had lived through a past horrendous experience. Liby was ready for the shouting and the dissing. She slept the night sleeping on it, anticipating he'd come back somewhere in the night and scare them away._

 _But it was that she didn't sleep well because of it that made it worse than him actually showing up, and it was that he didn't show up either, making her worries for nothing. Lacy didn't have a good night either. She got some nightmares, but had only once woke up sweaty and out of breath. She eluded whatever nightmare she had, and then cried when she remembered what wasn't a nightmare. She cried at three in the morning, and Liby was there to console her even more._

 _"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Lace," she whispered into her ear while snuggling her closely. Lacy more than wanted it, she needed it. She needed it. But she needed it from Lynn so much more. And that was why there was a lotta crying in this moment, too. "I wish we could change things..."_

Lacy did miss Liby for the most part. The girl had eventually returned to Rennis Orphanage, and Lacy wished it didn't have to be this way. She'd often stop by and visit her, but it had worn itself out, and eventually, Lacy had stopped going over there. Stopped, an indefinite hiatus that Lacy had yet to decide.

As long... As long as Liby was safe, hidden away from the hailstorm of vile cruelty life had to offer them. As long as nothing would circle back to become a thorn on her side. Liby was the furthest away from the family tree, so she didn't need to be involved. She was better off never knowing everything, but Lisa Loud, one of their aunts, said otherwise and planned her as a pawn in the dark game. Lisa Loud, one of the many hypocrites and jerks Liby and Lacy had come to know.

Damn their family. Were they all like that? Damn them...

Lacy was in a black shorts and a gray jersey, sporting a rather tomboy-ish look that night. "I guess You do..."

He closed his eyes, wishing the night would end. "I do, Lacerbeam... I do."

Lacy placed her hands together, leaning her body close to the floor. "A year... A whole year, dad..."

He let out a sigh with the sharpest of dear agony ringing out through Lacy's ears. "Lacy, could you turn on the news or something?"

Lacy moved up, going to the tv remote right by the flat-screen set-up. "Sure, dad."

She went to a Kron News station, and sank back to the couch with the remote still in her hand. Lincoln moved his head frontward, hoping to get lost in the news. Anything to get his mind out of today's significance. Hopefully Lacy could be distracted, pushing past this horrible day. She didn't look too beat up, or dead, not the way he was. He did notice it, but wondered if maybe there was something he wasn't aware of. It could not have been Lynn's macho act of overcoming all pain obstacles like nothing. She had never exhibited that exact trait, but what if it kicked in afterwards?

Truth was, Lacy had distanced herself from him. She wasn't there much anymore, but she also didn't seem dead and broken up. No, she was more like... A zombie. A zombie who gave more of her time being in the gym, and participating more in fighting arts.

He looked to her. This was the Lacy, the very same Lacy who had taken a bat to Ronalda Santiago and beat her to death.

 _He rushed into the room when he heard some shouting. At first, he got the impression Lacy went into berserk mode and wrecked her own room, as there was also some thudding noises he didn't identify. Coming in, he witnessed his daughter beating something up with a bat._

 _Not something, but someone._

 _"DIE! DIE, YOU BITCH!" Lacy was repeatedly hitting Ronnie Anne, even after it was apparent that she had already died by the umpteenth strike of the bat._

 _He grabbed Lacy and pulled her back. "HEY, HEY, EASY THERE! WHAT THE-?"_

 _Lincoln had so many questions, but first thing was first. He snatched the bat away from her and repelled her from the body. Lacy was now trying to kick away at the corpse before being taken away. She broke so much, but in her mind, she avenged her mother. She avenged Lynn and the case that followed afterwards came in their favor. She did it in self-defense, as Ronnie Anne had come with the clear intent to kill the little girl._

There could be no way it could get darker for them at this point, but Lacy still hoped for that to be the case. It was what she did to Ronnie Anne that had reshaped her, and made her stronger. It shoved her well past the crying and grieving phases, but had her father come to realize this? Realize that they were not in the same grouping anymore?

The news started off with a story about an escalating feud between a famous horror novelist and a famous artist, a boring story to start it off. Lacy yawned as the reporters were voicing their thoughts in it. "Lame," she shared in a dull manner.

The next few ones consisted of a fire taking the lives of two people, a murder spree involving an unnamed female suspect, and some celebrity bullshit Lacy didn't care for. The news reached the ten minute mark before detailing next about a funeral for some woman. Lacy flunches, and Lincoln gasped at it. "Oh..."

"It's boring, dad," Lacy leeched it out like an excuse, hoping it was enough for him. But it didn't matter. She changed the channel.

 _"It's here! It's wow! And how! Introducing the-"_

She changed it again.

 _"Hey, kiddies! Do you like balloon animals? Well, wa-hoo! Now, you can-"_

And again.

 _"Tell me, do you bleed? You-"_

And again.

"Hey, it's that movie again!" Lincoln cried out. "Lace!"

Lacy sighed. "We've seen that so many times, dad. And it's not even that good."

"Hey, I'm sure they did their best! It might not be a masterpiece, but I enjoyed it!" Lincoln's nerd side was kicking in just as Lacy turned it back. Oh, how he loved his comic book movies. A hobby and interest that Lacy didn't really pick up on. She was a can of some comic book movies, but could never really pick up a comic and read through it. No, she tried. Fancy shmancy words that hurt her brain made it unbearable. But she was reading the DC brand, never Marvel. Either way, she didn't bother to read any. But they did have some good bonding moments while watching some of those. Lacy would ask questions, to which Lincoln would pause whatever movie they watched to answer her question. She knew he was passionate about them, and smiled when he would often answer lile this, because he was pretty silly for a father.

He was. He was silly for a father, and she was lucky to have him. And a person like this, did they really deserve to have this thrown into their life? All the more reason she felt she was guilty of helping Ronnie Anne get her revenge.

"Yeah, it was okay, but this is the hundredth time we've seen this!"

"Well, thirty-four, but who's counting, am I right?" Lincoln relaxed while he watched the movie.

* * *

 **I'm pretty sure it should be obvious what this comic book movie is without revealing the title.**

* * *

Lacy let him be, figuring he'd get lost and distracted enough to forget what this day was. Maybe She could keep up the charade. "How about some popcorn and soda, then?"

"Oh, that would be nice!" He said with a lively tone. "Thanks, Lacerbeam."

"Sure," Lacy confirmed, raising herself from the couch slowly. She strolled to the kitchen and scavenged for Act II brand popcorn around the drawers. She opened the wrapper and unfolded the popcorn bag, setting it inside the microwave and started it up. She then went for the fridge to get two sprite bottles out. Grabbing them both, she took one to her father. "Here, popcorn will be ready soon."

"Thanks, sweetheart," he gratuitously said.

"Yeah, no problem."

The popcorn was popping away inside the microwave before the timer set off, beeping away five times to let her know the popcorn was ready. She raced back for it, while holding her sprite bottle. Taking it out of the microwave, she touched the bag by the tip, slowly taking it out. Some kernels weere still popping, so she shook it. It was somehow an impulsive reaction she'd always do with it, without an explanation. She returned to the couch and opened the bag up, letting the hot air come out. "It's ready, dad."

The two began sharing away. Lacy wasn't paying too much attention to the movie, but Lincoln was a mindless drone, already getting lost in the film. A good escape for him.

Somewhere in between, Lacy left to her room and spend the rest of the night alone. She went on her phone, wondering what to do on it. She went onto her Netflix account and began searching through shows and movies. Her father had the right idea, so maybe she should follow lead and find herself something. "Ah!"

She found a martial arts movie and chose that, when her phone died all of a sudden. She forgot to charge it. "Crap!"

Lacy grew agitated enough to drop her phone onto the carpet phone, groaning with annoyance. She was done for the night, and was just about to sleep when-

A pebble hit against her window. Lacy jumped, panicking her way towards it.

Liby was just outside, in the cold, shivering away as the wind continued to give her the sniffles. She came in a blue and brown sweater and a dark blue skirt. She wished she brought the jeans her roommate had offered, even if they did seem too long for her.

Lacy propped the window open and saw her dear cousin waving back. "L-Liby?! What are you doing here? And at this hour, too?"

"Don't be silly, Lace! You've been due for a visit, so I thought I'd bring it to you!"

Lacy placed on her shoes and began climbing down. "And at such a bad time, too!"

Liby hugged her the second she touched the grass. Lacy had no other choice than to hug back, but then pushed her away. "Agh, why now?"

"What? It's easy to escape at night. Because Lupa... Was the first, a whole lotta kids, they've been...-"

"You mean Lupa had some effect on those other orphans?" Lacy threw her fists into the air. "I guess Lupa had an eulogy after all!"

"Over half of the guys go in and out, and still do it even after being caught. It's quite the mess I wasn't expecting to come back to, but... I wanted to honor her, so I followed the trend and came here, but a little late."

"Is little Liby going bad?" Lacy teased. "How adorable."

"I don't think this even qualifies. And for the record, I'm still clean, and not like-" She remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot!"

Lacy was met with a folded up paper from Liby's hand. She accepted it and unfolded the paper with an eyebrow raised. "And what's this?"

"This is why it this all started in the first place, Lace," Liby revealed. "It's the poem I told you about."

"Y-you're kidding!" Needless to say, she saw for herself that Liby was right. This was the very same poem that Lupa had received on her thirteenth birthday. Lacy stared at each and every line, having her heartbeat bounce to greater levels the longer she looked. "So, this is the thing that- That-"

Liby exhaled, looking away. "I didn't bring this to hurt you, Lace. I thought that... We should-" The fact that this was property of Lupa Loud made it harder for her to be out with it. "R-rip it."

Lacy looked up at Liby with a fused look of shock and awe on it. "You... Want us to rip it together?"

The significance of the poem was clear to Liby. It was the thing that helped Lupa to her death, having done so by giving her false hope. A false reality she wanted to be a part of. Change. "This thing, it got her killed, did it not? This and Lisa."

Lacy wondered if Liby knew what happened to their cruel aunt. "Speaking of her-"

"I know... I know that Roxanne woman killed her..." Liby dropped.

Lacy looked down. "Of course you do..." She made a weak smile, but her eyes had turned red as she sniffed. "So many people at fault, Liby. Not just this piece of paper."

Liby nodded. "But... Not them, Lacy. Not your parents. Not like who we believed to be responsible for this."

"L-Liby?" Tears fell down, and Lacy dropped her head in sadness. "I miss her so much... And I'm- I'm scared that- That she won't ever forgive me-"

Liby slapped her for that particular bullshit. "You stop that!"

Lacy gasped, but didn't have a good mind to counter it. And then she was hugged tightly by her taller cousin. "O-oh-"

"Don't think like that, okay? She loved you, and I saw it for myself, so she can't be mad! She has no right to be mad even in death! It's okay..."

Lacy softened up, and wailed hard into Liby's sweater.

"It's okay, Lace, it's gonna be fine." Liby had that voice that made her sound heavenly, like the calm relaxation of a mother's soothing voice. And Lacy was damn comfortable and safe in the arms of the honey-sweet, innocent Liby Loud. There was nothing more she could wish than to release and dissipate the Lacy that had closed herself off from her father. "I promise."

Lacy's nose was dripping snot heavily, and into Liby's sweater, but neither of them cared, or said anything about it.

The cold wind picked up to a higher breeze. It knocked the poem away from Lacy's grasp, sending it flying away from them. "Ahh! Oh, no!"

"What-?" Liby turned around when Lacy tried to make a snatch for it behind her. "The poem!"

But when Lacy decided to run after it, Liby stopped her by grabbing her shoulder. "Easy, champ."

"But we have to-!"

Liby smiled to the heart-eyed athlete, proposing another idea. "It's funny, isn't it? It's like life iz telling us to let it go, Lacy."

Lacy took it to account, eyeing Liby and the poem back and forth.

"Are you going to keep running after it? Or will you let go of it, Lacy?" And Liby wasn't just talking about the poem.

Lacy looked down, forming her hands into tight fists. "I... I-"

"If it were me, I'd let go, Lace. I'd let go."

Lacy clenched her fists tighter.

"And so should you."

She then released them after letting out a demonic groan. "I hate it! I hate it so much, but..." She exhaled sharply.

"I can understand why, but you'll only be letting it consume you. Don't lose the parts that make you you." Liby bumped her cousin's shoulder, something that she owed Lacy way back when.

"Way to take advantage of me!" Lacy laughed through her broken voice. Liby did have a point when she put it like that, and Lacy merely nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I mean... Ugh."

"Come on, Lacy, give me more than that! Give me a winner's agreement!"

"You sound like a therapist or something-"

"Lace," she warned. "Do it for her..."

Lacy stood totally still, taking Liby's truthful words into account. No, no doubt about it. Liby was right, and Lacy knew it. Lacy knew it for she was in a bad pit of darkness. She needed to get out, to remind herself who she was before. To go back to that life. Her better life before the fall. Happy days. Happy nights. And in the name of her mother. Her dear, sweet mother...

She yelped. "For her...?"

The atmosphere only grew colder. The poem had to be long gone by then, gone into the night. Meanwhile, the two girls of different homes shivered more as they stood out, exposed into the cold. "It's getting cold..."

"And it's night, Liby. Was it a good idea to come here at this time of night?"

"I wanted to see you-"

"And today, out of all times? Really, Liby?"

"Huh? Why, what's-?" Liby then put two and two together. "Oh, that's today?!"

"Hey, keep it down, my father-"

"What about me?" Lincoln had come out of the back door and saw both of his daughters standing in the dark. "Oh."

"D-dad, I c-can explain-" Lacy grew scared of him going to Liby to kick her the fuck out. She gave up, seeing it pointless to try and hide it. "Dad-"

"It was Liby, right?" He asked his older daughter.

Liby was surprised. "Uh, yeah, mister Loud"' she answered him with nervousness, unable to move. "I'm sorry, I should be going-"

"Lacy..."

Lacy twitched. Here it came. The scolding and anger that was about to come out and erupt like a volcano. She mentally prepared for did, as did Liby. "Dad-"

"Why don't you both come inside, and I'll make some hot cocoa?" There was a goofy smile on his face, but a smile nonetheless. The dislike against Liby had gone away, died sometime long ago. He never got a chance to know her, so on his part, in those before times, he was unfair to treat her how he, and Lynn, have. He didn't like her at the start of the many problems that arose out of nowhere, and especially due to what she was to him, but Lacy... Sweet daughter Lacy was the one who reshaped his opinion of her.

Liby was a pure sweetheart, but she, like Lacy, weren't the smartest, mature pair of girls on the block. Lacy had described Liby to not just be a relative, but also a truly close friend she knew she could count on, and vice versa. It made him happy to hear it, and gradually, he felt ashamed for what and how he'd treated not just Liby, but Lupa. The girl who ended up taking her own life far from her home.

Right here, right now, while it wasn't too late, even after a year, he decided to turn the tide.

The girls were seated quietly at the table, while Lincoln was already making some hot cocoa at the stove. "So... Liby, what do you like?"

Liby gasped, hesitant to answer. "Um, well, I like pranks and making people laugh, but I also like to read some mystery books, sometimes novels."

"Is that so?" A few of those qualities belonged to Luan. Liby really looked like her, more or less. "I can see that."

"I found the channel she had. That's how I pieced it together, but..." Lincoln sat at the table across from them as she continued. "You, you're..."

It hadn't been acknowledged yet, but Liby had a feeling it was like this. She had a feeling that, even when no one had really said anything to directly imply it, it turned out that he was her father. And for that matter, he was. Without a doubt, Lincoln Loud had three daughters in existence. And one was forever gone.

Liby kicked herself back and got up, moving quickly around the table to come face-to-face with him. And Lacy was assuming she was going to attack him. "Libster-"

But Liby wasn't going for pain and gain. Instead, she held out a hand firmly for Lincoln to shake. "Hi, d-dad," she stuttered about. "It's n-nice to officially meet you."

Lincoln took her hand, shaking gently. "Likewise, Liby. Likewise."

And the rest of the night began to warm-up for not just Lincoln and Lacy, but for also Liby. Yes, for the trio of the same family tree. Lincoln got to learn about his other daughter, no longer seeing her as the curse of his life. She wasn't like that, she was a human, just like him. A girl with no flaws or disabilities at all. She was a perfect, natural-born girl who wanted to be a part of the family. And while Lincoln was granting her this wholehearted wish, Liby was just as grateful to have her father accept her into his life.

She smiled, she cried tears of joy, and all was well. Lacy was damn so proud of her father and almosy teared up.

They went through a couple of games after they had an hour long three-way conversation about things, and Liby had to quickly learn some of them. She had never played Monopoly, Sorry!, or the other games Lincoln had kept even after Lacy had grown out of them.

But she didn't, and even Liby was having tons of fun as they played along. They were all so happy that they had bypassed what this day meant. They forgot about how awful this day had changed their lives. And you know why? Because they were content once more, finding nothing but comfort with each other's company. And somewhere, just somewhere up in the heavens, Lynn Loud would be smiling away at them, happy that her husband and her daughter would be fine without her. Wouldn't you agree?

As for the poem, it remained flying all across the night skies of the empty, sleeping town of Royal Woods. And it passed over many buildings, not stopping for hours. Not until the dawn of a new day had come, and the winds died down by then. The breeze made the poem stop floating around the cemetery. The cemetery where Lucy Loud was buried, to be exact. The poem landed on her grave, almost like the ghost of Lucy was calling out to it, bringing it at her final resting place. And it remained put, to be forever laying here, never to bother anyone else again.

And maybe, that's what it should have been from the beginning. The calm after the storm had arrived. And all would be well again.

Lincoln, Lacy and Liby would never let the scars hurt again.

* * *

 **AN: Happy anniversary to the stunning conclusion of when I ended this fix originally! This, a chapter where I wanted to project feels into, serves as the "One Year Later" visit back into this world. Yeah, I did this to try and fill in a missing gap from Lincoln's view, and I think I did that okay this time, and secondly, it was a request. And I thought, why not?**

 **I hope I did good with the feels just as I've done before. Oh, okay yeah, hmmm... Part three? Oh, my God, I have to stop. Mmmmf.**

 **Survival of the Sinner, built on borrowed structures and elements of a short story I created in my mind, known as "The House on Chalk Street." Now, if by chance, way later in the future, should you come across a book by that name, it's fucking me behind that. Huehue. Pipe dreams haha.**

 **Well, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! See you reader-Os in the six-parter Year Unknown!**


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